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Appeals court orders new Weld County murder trial after judge refused to give self-defense instruction
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coloradopolitics.com, Local

Appeals court orders new Weld County murder trial after judge refused to give self-defense instruction

By Michael Karlik | Colorado Politics Colorado's second-highest court on Thursday decided a Weld County judge should have instructed jurors to consider whether a man accused of murder acted in self-defense, given that some evidence at the crime scene supported that theory. Jurors convicted Kenneth James Hoschouer III in 2021 of murdering his friend, Christopher Grau, at Grau's residence in Firestone two years earlier. The prosecution's evidence showed Hoschouer was intoxicated, angry and had the murder weapon concealed in his home after the killing. Hoschouer received 48 years in prison. On appeal, Hoschouer claimed there were numerous errors with his trial, including his inability to have jurors consider the possibility of self-defense. READ THE FULL STORY ...
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CU-Boulder sued for free speech violations over response to Israel-Hamas war protest
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Boulder Reporting Lab, Local

CU-Boulder sued for free speech violations over response to Israel-Hamas war protest

By John Herrick | Boulder Reporting Lab A University of Colorado Boulder student and an employee filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court on Jan. 10, alleging the university violated their free speech rights following a protest related to the war in Gaza. Sophomore Mari Rosenfeld and recent graduate Max Inman, the plaintiffs, claim CU Boulder retaliated against them for participating in an Oct. 3 protest organized by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) during a career fair at the University Memorial Center. The lawsuit follows several other legal challenges against universities nationwide over restrictions on student protests over the Israel-Hamas war. These cases often underscore a tension universities face in balancing the protection of free speech with maintaining campus ...
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Error-prone Douglas County judge returns to bench after chief justice OK’s part-time service
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coloradopolitics.com, Local

Error-prone Douglas County judge returns to bench after chief justice OK’s part-time service

By Michael Karlik | Colorado Politics A retired Douglas County judge is now back on the bench, despite the state's appellate court overturning convictions and sentences in numerous criminal cases she handled due to her errors. District Court Judge Patricia Herron stepped down from active service in December 2023. But in October, Chief Justice Monica M. Márquez signed a contract permitting Herron to continue handling cases as a part-time senior judge. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Three weeks after 13th Judicial District judge was retained by 14% margin, Supreme Court suspended him
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coloradopolitics.com, State

Three weeks after 13th Judicial District judge was retained by 14% margin, Supreme Court suspended him

By Michael Karlik | Colorado Politics The Colorado Supreme Court suspended a trial judge late last year, while ordering the state's judicial discipline commission to keep it informed of the developments in the judge's investigation. District Court Judge Justin B. Haenlein presides in the 13th Judicial District, consisting of Morgan, Logan, Sedgwick, Phillips, Washington, Yuma and Kit Carson counties. The Supreme Court's Nov. 25 order suspended Haenlein with pay, and cited the rule of judicial discipline allowing for judges under investigation to agree to a temporary suspension. The order contained no further details about the nature of the proceedings, only an instruction for the Colorado Commission on Judicial Discipline to update the Supreme Court every 45 days until t...
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Teen pleads guilty to second degree murder in shooting at Longmont car rally
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CBS Colorado, Local

Teen pleads guilty to second degree murder in shooting at Longmont car rally

By Christa Swanson | CBS Colorado A teen charged in a fatal shooting at a car rally in Longmont pleaded guilty to second-degree murder Friday. Christian Mendoza, 17, was charged as an adult after he fatally shot 16-year-old Robert Maldonado in the Longmont Hobby Lobby parking lot in March 2024. Officials said an altercation at the car rally between Mendoza and Maldonado turned physical. When Maldonado turned to head back towards the vehicle he arrived in, Mendoza shot him in the back right side. Maldonado fled the rally in his vehicle and crashed nearby. He later died from his injuries at the hospital. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
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Lawsuit filed against town of Palmer Lake, officials over Buc-ee’s plan
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gazette.com, Local

Lawsuit filed against town of Palmer Lake, officials over Buc-ee’s plan

By BRETT FORREST | The Gazette, via KOAA Several nonprofit organizations are suing the town of Palmer Lake, its mayor and other city officials over a controversial plan to annex land to open a Buc-ee's convenience store. The lawsuit, filed Friday, alleges a multitude of complaints including improper land annexation agreements, restriction of free speech and violation of open meeting laws for matters surrounding the development of the popular Texas-based chain, which opened its first Colorado location near Johnstown in 2024. Nonprofit Integrity Matters filed the suit along with Westside Watch, TriLakes Preservation, Inc, United Congregational Church, and other individuals and business owners in the Palmer Lake area. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE GAZETTE
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Man who dragged Brighton officer with car sentenced to decades in prison
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denvergazette.com, Local

Man who dragged Brighton officer with car sentenced to decades in prison

By Janet Oravetz  | Denver Gazette, via 9News A man who injured a Brighton Police Department officer when he attempted to drive away to avoid being arrested was sentenced Wednesday morning to 20 years in prison. Robert Trujillo, 51, pleaded guilty in September to first-degree assault related to the August 2023 incident at Overland Trail Middle School. On Aug. 16, 2023, officers responded to the school after learning that Trujillo, who was wanted on a felony domestic violence warrant was sitting in a car at the school. Officers arrived and one parked in front of Trujillo's vehicle and a second parked behind him. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
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Colorado family hopes murder suspect will reveal location of man missing for 25 years
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CBS Colorado, Local

Colorado family hopes murder suspect will reveal location of man missing for 25 years

By Logan Smith | CBS Colorado He played Santa Claus during the holidays and hand-delivered gifts to local children. He drove teenage royalty in the high school's homecoming parades with his rebuilt classic cars. He picked up broken down motorists and fixed their cars.  But his body has never been found.  Dale Williams was presumably murdered by a childhood friend 25 years ago.  His willingness to help others appears to have contributed to his disappearance. READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
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Judge denies Denver Public Schools’ wrongful termination lawsuit dismissal request
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denvergazette.com, Local

Judge denies Denver Public Schools’ wrongful termination lawsuit dismissal request

By Sage Kelley | Denver Gazette Former McAuliffe International Principal Kurt Dennis' wrongful termination lawsuit against Denver Public Schools will continue, a judge decided, denying a request for dismissal the school district sought. United States District Court Judge John Kane denied the district's motion, based on arguments implicating student privacy and confidentiality laws, to dismiss Dennis' case. The court granted the district's motion to dismiss property interest claims based on a Fourteenth Amendment argument the former principal had raised in court.  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
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A Colorado Court Case that Strengthened Due Process Rights
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Law Week Colorado, State

A Colorado Court Case that Strengthened Due Process Rights

By Michael Rummel | Law Week Colorado In 1959, 14-year-old Bobby Gallegos was convicted of first-degree murder in Colorado. According to the U.S. Supreme Court opinion in Gallegos v. Colorado, the child and another juvenile tricked an elderly man into letting them into his hotel room, where they assaulted him, stole $13 from him and fled.  Less than 2 weeks later, Gallegos was caught by police and admitted to the assault and robbery. Just a few weeks after that, he was convicted in a juvenile court of “assault to injure.”  After his sentencing, the elderly man he assaulted died, which led to Gallegos being tried in state court—for first-degree murder.  READ THE FULL STORY AT LAW WEEK COLORADO
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