Nicholson has covered a variety of beats including suburbs, courts, crime and general assignment. Vail's International Student Workers Feel Left Out in the Cold Over High Housing Costs, Help Prevent Car Theft: Let the Denver Police Department Track Your Stolen Vehicle's Location, "Western Water Girl" Uses TikTok to Make a Splash on Colorado Water Issues. Media reports said the man smirked at her and then left in a pickup truck. The Columbine High School shooting occurred on April 20, 1999, at a school located on the outskirts of Denver, near Littleton. Welcome Guest. 3. The killer took Rhonda's car and ditched it at the Essex House Hotel. The shooting happened about 3:20 a.m. in the yard of a residence in the 2700 block of West . Most accurate 2021 crime rates for Littleton, CO. At approximately 11:19 a.m., Dylan Klebold, 17, and Eric . The deceased were identified as . The isolated location of the shooting, as well as the early hour during terrible weather and the second victim's testimony seems to point to a stranger-on-stranger attack, which is very rare, Cooper said. , despite having become reacquainted with her around that time. Fifty-eight of those were wounded from the gunfire, while the rest were injured while fleeing the massacre. If the information you provide leads to an arrest by the police and acceptance of the case by the District Attorney, a cash award up to $2,000 may be given to you. Unsolved Mysteries Wiki. "[The District Attorney] never charged him with the death of Rhonda Holland," Cooper said. The Giffords Law Center, a Colorado-based gun control group co-founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, gives the state a scorecard grade of C+ for overall gun safety. DD12: Alexis Flores, Jorge Walter Nunez-Paz, Gilberto Juarez-Hernandez, Juan "Chaquatin" Laureano-Arvizu, Tomas Magallon Gonzalez, Hung "Pretty Boy" Tien Pham, Jose Ramon "Angel" Reyes-Sanchez, Anna Marlene Reyes, Lorenzo "Lore, Kingbone" Gamez Salinas, Emmanuel Polanco Vanderhorst, Fernando Palomino, Tyrom Walter Theis. The grizzly site was at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, on July 20, 2012. Parker is still the prime suspect in the murder, Cooper said. You will remain anonymous. 1. And every detective nows there is a grieving family behind the case waiting for closure. The FBI is aiding Littleton police in investigating a 2002 shooting in a Littleton bowling alley that killed three people. The victim was identified as Luke Scott Clayton, 28, by the Arapahoe County Coroner's Office, and his death was ruled a homicide due to gunshot wounds. In the attack, senior students Eric Harris . The shooting happened about 3:20 a.m. in the yard of a residence in the 2700 block of West Riverwalk Circle, Shera Poelman, a Littleton Police Department spokeswoman said. He even forged a suicide note that was supposedly written by Nancy. There were two other bodies inside, one so mutilated that its sex could not be determined . On Jan. 27, 2002, three people in their 20s were . "It's kind of a random place to find your girl friend under the bridge. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Police officer Eric Talley, 51, was the first law enforcement officer to arrive at the scene and was fatally shot. "Homicides are heat-of-the-moment, crimes of passion, crimes of opportunity or crimes where suspects knows the victim," Cooper said. The suspected gunman suffered a leg wound in crossfire with police and was taken into custody. The gunman ordered Roger to tie up and blindfold his wife, D.J., who overheard them have a heated conversation about Roger taking him to the bank to withdraw $30,000. Colorado also does not impose waiting periods between the purchase of a firearm and the transfer of the firearm to the customer, per Giffords. Anyone with information on the homicide should call Littleton police at (303) 794-1551. Golla, a mother of two girls and Springer, a father and recent transplant from Utah, were both working at the bowling alley on the closing shift. How Should RTD Deal With the Drug Problem on Trains? Spurlock said it's "very satisfying" to know that DNA evidence collected early in the investigation and preserved for three decades was used to identify the suspect. Another option for Fire TV is to have the appdelivered directly to your Fire TVthrough Amazon. "Thats still a case with detective looking at periodically. Ax murderer sentenced to death. "The case lends itself to have us believe it was a random shooting," Cooper said. In 2002, Anaya was found guilty of killing a Denver restaurant patron in April 1999. Ex-Utahn slain in Colorado - Deseret News. Crime Analyst jobs Transportation Security Officer jobs Senior . As DNA evidence analysis improves, investigators hope that new insights will come from DNA and fingerprint analysis, even from cold cases. Get the latest updates in news, food, music and culture, and receive special offers direct to your inbox. For years the shooting was burned into Americans memories as the deadliest school shooting in US history. Cold Case: 3 Murdered At Littleton Bowling Alley In 2002 | Littleton, CO Patch. He has been charged with 10 counts of murder, Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold said. A man was shot to death early Saturday morning in Littleton and police are searching for suspects. Report a Problem | Ask . As an active & ongoing investigation, we will not share any specifics about the activity in order to protect the integrity of the case. Reddit unresolved mysteries discussion on this case: On the bidecadial anniversary of the Columbine High School Massacre, I want to remind everyone out there that, while the school shooters ended up dead, yet. On the evening of Jan 27, 2002, a woman planning on picking up her roommate from a local Littleton, Colorado bowling alley discovers the bodies of three people inside. Triple murderer William "Cody" Neal pleaded guilty to the rape, torture and ax slayings of three women in a Golden, Colorado, condominium last summer. The deaths were recorded as a murder/suicide by Nancy, meaning Spangler had got away with murder. Burial. Bell, Michael. I actually wouldnt doubt the meth angle at all. View the earliest Colorado birth and death records on file by county. 4. In 1984, Mark Groezinger, a beloved community member with no known enemies, was found with multiple gunshot wounds in his car near Lookout Mountain. Authorities in Colorado have been trying to identify the killer(s) of three people inside a bowling alley for more than a decade. David didnt die immediately, so Spangler smothered him with a pillow. Her parents found her body after noticing the lights were on in the business, Cooper said. People who live in Littleton generally consider the southwest part of the city to be the safest. In several courtroom outbursts, Dear declared he was guilty and shared anti-abortion sentiments and called himself a "warrior for babies," per The Associated Press. "He went to prison for murder of wife and he's serving a life sentence currently. Loved ones finally have some closure after arrest made in Denver 1996 cold case That's not to say they might not have valid points but I don't put too much stock into sketch photos tbh. "being able to extract DNA, and then compare it across, you know, different DNA databases that we have access to throughout the country, and arrive at where we are today, that's the incredible story," Kellner said during a news conference on Friday. If you have information about suspects, or wish to remain anonymous, please call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP (7867) or click link above. Officials working on the case were in the area of Interstate 270 and the Platte River on Tuesday, according to the FBI. Teenagers Alec McKinney and Devon Erickson, 16 and 18 years old respectively, were arrested for the fatal shooting. Glendale. These details can also weed out false confessions. Join the Westword community and help support . In 1978, Robert Spangler was living in Littleton, Colorado, with his high school sweetheart, Nancy, who hed married 23 years previously, and their two children. He later retracted his confession and murder charges were dropped. 1 The figures shown in this column for the offense of rape were reported using only the revised Uniform Crime Reporting definition of rape. His motive was never 100 percent clear, but prosecutors argued that he first turned to murder in 1978 because hed grown tired of family life. Investigators said that during his interviews, he had "somewhat of an alibi," Cooper said. Anaya, Steven. Dear faced 68 counts in the federal case, including use of a firearm during a crime resulting in death and violating a law ensuring access to clinic entrances. Last year, Radelet put together a letter to Governor John Hickenlooper's office that highlighted studies he'd conducted arguing against the death penalty, with one section pointing out how inconsistently (and rarely) it's been sought in Colorado even for the most shocking crimes. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Aug. 7, 2015. When police arrived they found a man who had been shot in the chest. Noelle Phillips was born and raised in Nashville, Tenn., so that's the accent you hear during interviews. We dont know what the missing piece of the puzzle is," Cooper said. He had moved down there and was living on the street.". James Holmes, one of the Colorado Serial Killers. Murder victim. . The Littleton triple homicide happened late on January 27, 2002 at the bowling alley on South Boardway. Rhonda Holland was the mother of two young sons, according to reports. The FBI described the investigation as active and ongoing. Details were withheld from Tuesdays activity in order to protect the integrity of the case.. Spangler remarried seven months later, but the pair divorced in 1988. "I'm now 17, and yesterday a man walked into the Table Mesa King Sooper and did the same, killing 10. At the time of the double-murder, Nicholas Kunselman, 15, was an employee of the . Click here to remove banner ads from this forum. The person who died lived in the Riverwalk neighborhood although police were not releasing the name or age, she said. . If you have information on any of the persons . Spurlock was at the scene at the time and was the lead detective on the case. Your chance of being a victim of violent crime in Littleton is 1 in 611 and property crime is 1 in 31. Jefferson was arrested in Los Angeles and has been extradited to Colorado to face prosecution. . The Denver Post is her fifth newspaper, but her first in the West. Colorado Ceasefire, a major gun reform group in the state, is calling for Congress to pass a ban on assault weapons and a law to require universal background checks. After his second wife died in an accident, authorities found that circumstances of his first wife's death were more suspicious than they realized. Investigators suspect the murders are possibly related to a prior attempted burglary of the bowling alley on Jan. 20, 2002. Police performed life-saving measures on the man until South Metro Fire Rescue arrived on scene. McKinney pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison, while Erickson, who pleaded not guilty, has had his trial delayed several times. The #FBI is supporting Littleton Police Department's investigation into the triple homicide on Jan. 27, 2002 at the AMF Broadway Bowling Alley. Thirteen Horrifying Colorado Murders. In 1978, Robert Spangler was living in Littleton, Colorado, with his high school sweetheart, Nancy, who he'd married 23 years previously, and their two children. "Littleton's Ballot Question 300 will replace the inconsistent sections with the Colorado municipal election laws making the requirements for petitions specific." Carol Br Littleton's police department has only four open homicide cold cases, some of them decades old, but they are still considered of high importance for the department, said Commander Trent Cooper. In 2000, officers heard that Spangler had contracted terminal cancer. He was arrested and convicted, but has never confessed to Holland's murder, Cooper said. The shootings were carried out by Eric Harris, age 18, and Dylan Klebold, age 17. Apply on employer site. It appears to have been a murder-suicide. The two groups are investigating a 2002 cold case involving a fatal triple-shooting at a bowling alley. Roger Dean. Then he was able to flag somebody down and get help.". Shortly thereafter, police found Villarreal's red pickup truck, set on fire, nearby in the 800 block of West Jamison Avenue. Littleton, Colorado's bowling alley triple murder Littleton, Colorado's bowling alley triple murder James Springer, 30, Robert Zajac, 24, and Erin Golla, 27, spent their last Sunday night at AMF Broadway Bowling Alley in Littleton, Colorado before being shot to death shortly before midnight on Jan. 27, 2002. David Gilbert. James Springer, 29, Erin Golla, 26, and Robert Bobby Zajac, 23, were fatally shot on Jan. 27, 2002, at the AMF Broadway Lanes Bowling Alley, 5485 S. Broadway, according to authorities. District Attorney John Kellner called it an "incredible story.". Follow the links to read about more murders profiled on ID. Another 21 people were injured by the killers. Rhonda Holland was the mother of two young sons, found shot to death late at night Jan. 27, 2002. confessing to killing Kiowa High School teacher Randy Wilson in 2010. police believed she had been "kicked in the head", Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP (7867). 1. Erin . I remember the Dustin Honken case out of Iowa where he murdered three federal drug witnesses (and the two children of one witness, ages 10 and 6) who were going to testify against him in a meth distribution case. Gregory Thomas Parker, 46, was charged with killing his wife, Barbara Parker, about a month after Rhonda's death. Get content and information right now for cant-miss stories, Next and Broncos content, weather and more delivered right to your inbox. In the 60 days leading up to the shooting, Holmes had purchased four guns from local shops and more than 6,000 rounds of ammunition,policesaid at the time. Tips can be made at 720-913-7867 (STOP) or @crimestoppersco and tipsters can remain anonymous. Michael Jefferson, 64, is now charged with murder in the death of Roger Dean, 51, in 1985. Police said her throat was slit. Denver's independent source of Glendale held onto its title of most dangerous place in Colorado for another year. "And frankly, it's something we're seeing more and more in the state of Colorado, because of local law enforcement's dedication to this type of investigation," Kellner said. It happened on the 7900 block of Estes Street on Thursday. But yeah somewhat off-topic that's what I tried to explain in the David Nimemire killer capture thread as some posters here think they arrested the wrong guy in part because the sketch looking nothing like the guy they arrested- that this happens all the time. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? . It is unclear if the suspects and the victim knew each other. "The vast majority of homicides committed by somebody the victim knows," he said. In February, a reward for information leading to solving the cold case was increased to $30,000, according to Metro Denver Crime Stoppers. The northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis, are certainly a rare sight in Colorado, but many in the northern part of the state were treated to an amazing show Sunday night. All of the weapons and ammunition were purchased legally, police said. In Monday's shooting, the suspected gunman used a Ruger AR-556 pistol purchased on March 16, according to the arrest warrant affidavit. Do you, This was definitely in IL because we are friends with, Hi. There are many ways for you to connect and stay in touch: FREE newsletters and Email Alerts|Facebook. ", 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. It appears to have been a murder-suicide. Gustafson was turned into the police by his friend, George Kerr, who had been a passenger with him. A midnight screening of the film "The Dark Knight Rises" turned into a massacre when gunman James Eagan Holmes stormed into a Century 16 movie theater in Aurora on July 20, 2012. On the anniversary of the killings this year, police once more asked for tips. After storming the clinic, Dear engaged in an hourslong standoff with police. December 13, 2017. Detectives were convinced he was genuinely upset by finding her and her condition," Cooper said. and help keep the future of Westword, Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our, seek the death penalty against Dexter Lewis, killing five people at Fero's Bar & Grill. Cooper said police have considered the likelihood that the same person who burglarized the bowling alley may have killed the three victims. They went to his home to ask if he wanted to confess to anything before he died. Bell eventually pleaded guilty to all four murders and was sentenced to LWOP. Photos: Ten more unsolved Colorado murders and victims' personal stories | Westword. We interviewed him on a number of occasions, saying, 'Look you have nothing to lose.' First published on April 9, 2021 / 2:17 PM. Devil Among Us on ID investigates a horrific serial killer in Robert Spangler, who targeted members of his own family and managed to escape justice for over 20 years. The rate of crime in Littleton is 33.50 per 1,000 residents during a standard year. Last July, we told you about the decision by prosecutors at the Denver DA's office to, Become a member to support the independent voice of Denver