Know of a court story I ought to be covering? Let me know.
My e-mail: john.ensslin@gazette.com
John C. Ensslin
Legal Affairs reporter
The Gazette
Know of a court story I ought to be covering? Let me know.
My e-mail: john.ensslin@gazette.com
John C. Ensslin
Legal Affairs reporter
The Gazette
Zeb Pike, court watcher
For a short work week, last week was the most insanely busy four days in the 4th Judicial District since I started covering this beat nearly two years ago.
It was a crazy busy week as well for my colleagues on the Gazette’s public safety team as they raced to stay current on the story of the tow truck driver’s death.
This week looks a bit less hectic, but there are a couple of interesting cases coming up. Here are a few of them:
Jury deliberations resume at 8:30 a.m. Monday in Division 4 in the first-degree murder trial of Daniel Gudino, the 15-year-old Colorado Springs boy accused of killing his younger brother and wounding their mom. Here’s my most recent story on the closing arguments.
Also on Monday, former Fort Carson soldier Robert Marko is scheduled to be sentenced to life in prison without parole after a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder and sexual assault of Judilianna Lawrence. Here’s my most recent story on the verdict.
Fourth Judicial District Judge Larry Schwartz is scheduled to impose the sentence at 1:30 p.m. in Division 5. I’ll be live blogging the hearing, so stay tuned to The Sidebar.
Judge Schwartz also is scheduled to sentence Tammy Patton, a Peyton woman who pleaded guilty to forgery. Patton originally had been charged with bigamy, but that charge was dropped as part of a plea bargain. Here’s my most recent story.
On Friday at 9 a.m. in Division 14, Judge Kirk Samelson is scheduled to sentence Delroy Henry, a former Fort Carson sergeant who pleaded to securities fraud. Henry, who was accused of bilking fellow soldiers out of thousands of dollars, could face up to 12 years in prison. Several of the victims in the case are expected to testify. Here’s my most recent story on the plea.
Also on Friday at 1:30 p.m. in Division 2, there’s a preliminary hearing scheduled for two of the suspects arrested in connection with the theft of an urn that contained the ashes of a Black Forest’s man’s wife. Here’s our story on the case.
As always, court hearings often are delayed and rescheduled, so what you see here may not happen.
Do you know of a court story that I ought to be covering? Let me know. My e-mail: john.ensslin@gazette.com
John C. Ensslin
Legal Affairs reporter
The Gazette
Know of a court case I ought to be covering? Let me know.
My e-mail: john.ensslin@gazette.com
John C. Ensslin
Legal Affairs reporter
The Gazette
Zeb Pike, court watcher
Hello court watchers,
This will be a short but intense week in the Fourth Judicial District.
Courts will be closed Monday for Presidents’ Day. But keep an eye out for a story I’m planning to write about a lawsuit filed recently against a Green Mountain Falls deputy marshal by an 80-year-old man who claims he was subjected to excessive force.
On Tuesday at 9 a.m. in Division 4, testimony resumes in the first-degree murder trial of Daniel Gudino, the 15-year-old boy accused of killing his younger brother and wounding their mom. This is expected to be the third and final week of the juvenile court trial. Here’s my most recent post.
Also on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. in Division 12, Judge Robert Lowrey is scheduled to sentence former Fort Carson soldier Thomas Woolly. A jury found Woolly guilty of criminal negligent homicide in the fatal shooting of a 19-year-old woman. He faces between 1 to 3 years in prison, but probation and community corrections are also a possible sentence. Here’s my story on the verdict.
On Thursday at 9 a.m. in Divison 3, Judge Thomas Kane is scheduled to sentence Aylais Oliver, the Security man accused of killing his son during an argument on Thanksgiving 2009. A jury found Oliver guilty of manslaughter, but rejected a charge of first-degree murder. He faces a potential sentence of between two to six years in prison. Here’s my story on the verdict.
Also on Thursday in Bergen County, N.J. a judge is scheduled to sentence a Colorado Springs man convicted of trying to steal thousands of dollars from insurance companies. A jury however acquitted William Silvi of hiring a man to kill his father. Here’s a story on the verdict from the Bergen Record.
And at 1:30 p.m. Thursday in Division 15, there’s a restitution hearing scheduled for Rev. Donald Armstrong, who was accused of embezzling more than $300,000 from Grace and St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church between 1999 and 2006.
Armstrong pleaded no contest to one count of felony theft. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Friday at 9 a.m. by Judge Gregory Werner. Here’s our story about the plea.
Bear in mind court hearings often are postponed and rescheduled. So what you see here may not happen.
Do you know of a court case that I ought to be covering? Let me know.
My e-mail is john.ensslin@gazette.com.
John C. Ensslin
Legal Affairs reporter
The Gazette
Robert Hull Marko. Photo by Mark Reis, the Gazette
Good morning court watchers,
I’m coming to you live today from the trial of Robert Hull Marko, the Fort Carson soldier accused in the October 2008 rape-murder of a 19-year-old woman.
The trial, now three-weeks old, is nearing a conclusion today.
This morning, public defenders for Marko are presenting their final witness, Denver psychiatrist Jonathan Woodcock.
Woodcock has been called as an expert witness to support the defense argument that Marko, 23, was not guilty by reason of insanity in the slaying of Judilianna Lawrence.
Her naked body was found 2.7 miles up Old Stage Road after Marko led El Paso County Sheriff’s investigators to the scene.
Click here for some background on Dr. Woodcock.
Woodcock is expected to rebut the testimony of Dr. Hal Wortzel, the psychiatrist who was called as a prosecution expert witness earlier in the trial. Wortzel suggested that Marko may have been faking a claim of amnesia when it came to how Lawrence died. Here’s a link to that story.
Woodcock is talking about some of the documents he reviewed hundreds of pages as part of the case, including videotaped interviews, army records and a two-page poem by Marko about a war involving black raptors.
Part of the defense case is that Marko retreats into the persona of a dinosaur called “Rex 290″ in moments of stress. A previous defense witness testified he has been fantasizing about raptors since he was a 9-year-old boy growing up in western Michigan.
“Mr. Marko stated that he’s a dinosaur.” Woodcock said. “That’s an unusual statement in my practice.”
“One of the first questions I had was when did this idea first manifest itself?” Woodcock said.
Woodcock said the records show it goes back to when Marko was four-year-old.
Deputy Public Defender Dan King. Gazette photo by Mark Reis.
Deputy Public Defender Dan King asked Woodcock to describe his diagnosis of Marko.
Woodcock said in his opinion, Marko suffers from both a major disorder and a personality disorder.
“Mr. Marko is very ill,” Woodcock said. “This is not something that’s trivial.”
“He has the type of problem that allows him to function at a reasonable level for most of his life….to pass for normal…in significant aspects of his life,” Woodcock said.
King asked Woodcock if he considered Marko dangerous.
“I think he’s very dangerous,” Woodcock replied.
King asked the psychiatrist about his face-to-face interview with Marko in the El Paso County Jail.
Did Woodcock have concerns for his own safety in that setting, King asked.
“I had concerns even before I went into the room,” Woodcock replied, saying he was very aware of where the guards were and where the door was during that interview.
King asked Woodcock whether Marko suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder by a history of childhood abuse or his experience during an 11-month tour of duty in Iraq. In previous testimony, a witness said Marko had been diagnosed with PTSD by age nine.
“I think it was caused by the childhood trauma,” Woodcock explained. “It was exacerabated and destablized by the combat experience.”
Robert Marko, left and Deputy Public Defender Deana Feist. Note: all these photos by Mark Reis were taken on Jan. 20.
King asked Woodcock about prior testimony about how Marko might not be suffering from PTSD because he shows no reluctance to talk about his Iraq War experience and he doesn’t seem to experience flashbacks.
“The reason he doesn’t appear typical is that he doesn’t have typical PTSD,” Woodcock replied.
“When he’s in a non-threatening situation he will be able to suppress those emotional centers so that he doesn’t experience flashbacks,” Woodcock said.
King asks the psychiatrist about reports of childhood abuse, including a 1997 document in which a social services caseworker reported seeing cigarette burns on Marko’s brother’s arm.
There were also reports of Robert Marko making gutteral noises at school, which Woodcock interperted as a tic from Tourette’s Syndrome.
King asked about a physical condition that Marko had as a boy that led to him walking on his toes.
Woodcock said Marko formed a delusional idea he was a dinosaur that incorporated his tics and his problem with his toes.
“He developed this belief that made sense to him, even though the other kids teased him about it,” Woodcock said.
The psychiatrist said this was Marko’s way of saying “I’m not odd. I’m special.”
“That’s how his brain put it together,” Woodcock said.
The trial has taken a break. I’m going to end this blog here so I can check on some other court cases going on today.
I’ll plan to resume this live blog later this afternoon if and when we get to closing arguments.
Zeb Pike, court watcher
Hello court watchers,
It looks like a busy week ahead in the Fourth Judicial District. Here are a few of the stories I’ll be watching.
On Monday, testimony is scheduled to resume in the trial of Jarrott Paul Martinez, a former Manitou Springs police officer accused of strangling his ex-girlfriend. Here’s my most recent story on the case. The trial is before Judge David Shakes in Division 4.
Also on Monday, there’s a motions hearing scheduled at 9 a.m. before Judge Barbara Hughes in Division 13 for three men accused in the murder of a former soldier who was allegedly killed in a marijuana deal gone bad. Here’s my most recent story on the case.
Tuesday should see the end of testimony in the three-week long first-degree murder trial of Robert Hull Marko, the 23-year-old Fort Carson soldier accused in the October 2008 rape-murder of a 19-year-old woman.
The defense is expected to conclude by calling a psychiatrist to support Marko’s claim that he is not guilty by reason of insanity. Closing arguments are expected to follow in the afternoon.
I’ll be live blogging this trial, which is before Judge Larry Schwartz in Division 5. Here’s my most recent story.
Also on Tuesday, testimony resumes in the child abuse trial of Jeremiah Lovato, who is accused of beating his former adoptive son. This trial, before Judge Robert Lowrey in Division 12, is expected to go to the jury by the end of the week. Here’s my most recent post.
On Wednesday at 9 a.m. there’s a sentencing hearing for Adan Viveros, who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for killing one man and wounding a teenager during an April 12 shooting. Viveros faces a sentence of between 15 to 48 years in prison when he is sentenced by Judge David Gilbert in Division 7. Here’s my most recent story on the case.
Also on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. there’s a preliminary hearing scheduled for Everett Harrington, who is accused in a shooting outside a Colorado sports bar. The hearing is in Division 15 before Judge Gregory Werner. Here’s our more recent story on the case.
On Thursday at 10 a.m. Judge William Bain in Division 22 is scheduled to sentence Jesus Bezada-Rodriquez, one of four men arrested in a shooting incident on Airport Road. Here’s our initial story on the case.
Stay tuned to the Sidebar for updates on these cases during the week. But keep in mind that court hearings often are delayed and rescheduled. So what you see here may not happen.
Do you know of a court case I ought to be covering? Let me know. My e-mail: john.ensslin@gazette.com
John C. Ensslin
Legal Affairs reporter
The Gazette
Zeb Pike, court watcher
Hello court watchers,
There are several potentially interesting stories on the docket this week. Here are a few that I’ll be watching:
On Monday at 1:30 p.m. in Division 12 there’s a review hearing for three of the four defendants accused in the death of a man whose body was discovered dumped along Rampart Range Road. Here’s a link to my most recent story on the case.
On Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. in Division 5, testimony resumes in the first-degree murder and sexual assault trial of Fort Carson soldier Robert Hull Marko which enters its third week. I’ll continue live blogging from the trial throughout the week. Here’s my most recent post on the trial.
Also on Tuesday, at 1:30 p.m. in Division 7 there’s a preliminary hearing for a father and son accused of drug possession and conspiracy charges involving methamphetamine. Here’s my most recent story on the case.
On Friday at 1:30 p.m. in Division 17, there’s a motions hearing for a man accused of killing an employee at the Big O Tire store in Monument. Here’s my most recent story.
Please bear in mind that court hearings frequently are delayed and rescheduled. So what you see here may not happen.
Do you know of an interesting court story? Let me know. My e-mail is john.ensslin@gazette.com
John C. Ensslin
Legal Affairs reporter
The Gazette
Good morning court watchers,
This is John Ensslin, legal affairs reporter for the Gazette, coming to you live this morning from U.S. District Court in Denver, where I’m covering the sentencing of Fort Carson Major Roderick Daniel Sanchez.
Sanchez has pleaded guilty to accepting bribes while deployed in Kuwait.
Judge Christine Arguello has just told Sanchez and his lawyer Greg Daniels that she is inclined to deny their motion for a lighter sentence than the 87 months in prison recommended by the U.S. Probation Office.
Arguello noted Sanchez’ military record, which included 28 medals, including a Bronze Star, plus being honored as Army Contracting Officer of the year in 2004.
“Unfortunately to me it appears that beginning in 2004, Mr. Sanchez violated the trust that was placed in him,” Arguello said.
Daniels argued that it was frustrating to see other large corporations commit far larger misconduct while doing business during the Iraq war involving sums far larger than the $200,000 that Sanchez is accused of recieving. Those companies got far less punishment that Sanchez was facing, Daniels said.
“I agree with you, we’re much too soft with white collar crime,” Arguello responded. “But my other concern is a violation of trust.”
Daniels also argued that his client was the victim of some miscommunication with his previous lawyer.
When Sanchez and Daniels travelled to Washington D.C. to talk with federal investigators, his statements were inconsistant with what he had told them during a previous briefing, prosecutors said.
As a result, prosecutors felt they could not use Sanchez’ testimony before a grand jury.
Daniels, however, said his client felt he had been consistant with an e-mail that he had sent to his previous attorney. That e-mail had not been forwarded to prosecutors, Daniels said.
But Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Gibson said the problem was more than an e-mail mishap.
“The government was confronted with discrepancies that – going forward – were impossible to overcome,” Gibson said.
“The truth is the truth,” Gibson added. “The details shouldn’t depend upon who his counsel is.”
Sanchez stood to give his statement to the judge. Several of his family members are seated in the audience.
“I apology to the country,” he tells the judge.
“I was very materialistic at the time,” he later adds. “I thought that’s how you should love your family.”
“I’ve changed from the person that I was,” he added.
The judge described sentencing as the toughest part of her job.
She recalled other larger white collar crimes where the sentencing guidelines forced her to apply much lighter sentences than the one recommended here.
She noted that Sanchez had performed “more than 20 years of service to the country, bravely.”
But she added that he “got off the track and continued off the track for several years.”
Because of that service, Arguello said she would partially grant the defense request for a lesser sentence.
“I don’t believe you are a danger to society,” she said. “I think you went wrong.”
She sentenced Sanchez to 5 years in prison, plus a $15,000 fine. She also ordered him to undergo mental health treatment at his own expense.
Sanchez will remain free on bond until he is assigned to report to a federal prison.
I’ll end this blog here. Watch for the complete story later today at gazette.com
Zeb Pike, court watcher
Hello court watchers,
The Fourth Judicial District will be closed Monday in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
However, the rest of the week looks fairly busy. Here’s a peek at what’s coming up:
On Tuesday, at 10 a.m. in Division 8, Judge Theresa M. Cisneros is scheduled to sentence Liam Joseph Terry, who was originally charged with child abuse resulting in injury to his 14-month-old daughter. Here’s the story we wrote at the time of his arrest in January 2009.
On Wednesday, at 8:30 a.m. in Division 5, testimony resumes in the rape-murder trial of Fort Carson soldier Robert Hull Marko, who has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. I’ll be live blogging this trial during the week. Here’s my latest post.
Also on Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. in U.S. District Court in Denver, Judge Christine M. Arguello is scheduled to sentence a Fort Carson major who has pleaded guilty to accepting bribes while deployed overseas. Roderick D. Sanchez faces between 7 to 9 years in prison, but his attorney has asked the judge to consider a lesser sentence. Here’s my most recent story.
Wednesday is also the deadline for the District Attorney’s office to file charges in the case of a Chang Li, a Colorado Springs liquor store owner who was arrested in December on suspicion of attempted first-degree murder in the Oct. 25 shooting of a shoplifter who had fled the store with a bottle of vodka. Here’s our most recent story on the case.
On Thursday at 2 p.m. in Division 16, there is s a motions hearing for Monique Lynch and Hanif Sims, the couple charged in the death of a 9-year-old girl found buried in the crawl space beneath a home in Monument. Here’s my most recent story.
And finally on Friday, at 8:30 a.m. in Division 20, Robert Hunt makes his first appearance in District Court. Hunt was returned from Atlanta earlier this month to face charges in the fatal shooting of a man on July 30 outside the Cedar Creek Apartments. Here’s our most recent story.
Please bear in mind, court hearings frequently are postponed and rescheduled, so what you see here might not happen.
Do you know of a court story I ought to be covering? Let me know. My e-mail: john.ensslin@gazette.com
Zeb Pike, court watcher
Hello court watchers,
Several Sidebar readers wrote Friday to ask what happened to the updates on the three trials underway in the Fourth Judicial District.
The simple answer is this: it got just crazy busy on Thursday and Friday with non-trial stories such Willie Allmon’s life sentence for the rape/murder of his 8-month-old grandson.
This week, however, looks to be a lot less hectic. So on Monday, I’ll turn my attention back to the defendants whose trials began last week. They are:
-Aylais “Buddy” Oliver, the 77-year-old Security man accused of first-degree murder in the shooting death of his son Keith. Click here for my most recent post.
-Thomas Woolly, the Fort Carson soldier accused of manslaughter in the shooting death of a 19-year-old Colorado Springs woman. Here’s my most recent post.
-Richard Lumar Riley, the parole officer accused of sexually assaulting a female parolee. Here’s my most recent post.
I have permission to live blog from all three of these cases and expect to do so. So stay tuned to the Sidebar for the latest news.
Also this week, on Monday, there’s a motions hearing for Damian Gradeless, one of two men accused in the shooting death of a former Fort Carson soldier.
Here’s my most recent update on the case.
On Tuesday, there are separate court appearances for John and Martin Marshall, the father and son accused of drug possession charges. Here is my most recent story about their cases.
On Wednesday, a preliminary hearing for Ishmael Shelton is expected to conclude. Shelton is accused in the fatal stabbing of a 27-year-old Colorado Springs woman. This is a continuation of a hearing from last week. Here’s our most recent story.
On Thursday, there’s a motions hearing for Jason and JoBeth Bomsta, the husband and wife accused in the death of a man found suffocated north of Garden of the Gods. Here’s my most recent update on the case.
Keep in mind that hearings often are delayed and rescheduled, so what you see here may not happen.
Do you know of a court case I ought to be covering? Let me know. My email is john.ensslin@gazette.com
John C. Ensslin
Legal Affairs reporter
The Gazette