Author: Jenny Deam
-
Colorado lawmakers tackle legislation on sexual assault
—
by
A panel of Colorado lawmakers on Monday unanimously approved a bill that supporters say will offer protections and support to victims of domestic violence, stalking, sex trafficking and sexual assault, including mandatory training for law enforcement on trauma. The measure, Senate Bill 26-095, would also allow accusers in those crimes to potentially testify via closed-circuit…
-
Toll to sexual assault survivors rises if they feel blamed and disbelieved
—
by
Natalie, a single mother, dropped off her son at daycare, went to therapy and then returned home. She swallowed a fistful of pills, washing them down with a six-pack of beer. She was ready to end her life. “I just wanted the pain to go away,” she said. Brittney Smith, an artist living in Colorado…
-
Colorado rape cases rarely result in an arrest and prosecution
—
by
Authorities say they are especially difficult cases. In Colorado, most go nowhere. Over the past decade, for every 10 reports of rape, there is only one arrest. Warning: This story contains descriptions of sexual violence. Kiersten May remembered a fuzziness overtake her as Saturday night slid into Sunday morning at the remote Colorado mountain campsite…
-
State audit: Rape kit backlog reduced but more work needed to hit goal
—
by
In the past year, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation has slashed the time it takes to process DNA collected in sexual assault cases, but the agency still is far short of its turnaround goal, the state auditor reported on Wednesday. While praising the progress made in the past year, the audit showed that the 190…
-
Judge: CBI ordered to provide access to thousands of DNA cases
—
by
Boulder County District Judge Nancy W. Salomone on Monday ordered the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to provide access to thousands of cases where past DNA analysis could be in question or show a pattern. The ruling came in a pre-trial hearing for Michael Clark who is standing trial for a second time in a 1994…
-
Missy Woods pleads not guilty; trial set for fall
—
by
The former Colorado Bureau of Investigation DNA expert charged with more than 100 felonies entered a plea of not guilty to all of them Wednesday in a packed Jefferson County courtroom. The plea was entered by her defense attorney Tom Ward. Yvonne Woods, who goes by the name Missy, was the state’s former top DNA…
-
A year of developments in the CBI forensic lab scandal
—
by
As the scandal at the Colorado Bureau of Investigation forensic lab moved through its second year, a series of startling developments and revelations emerged with no clear end in sight and the full toll still unknown. At the heart of a scandal unlike any before in state history, is the state agency’s once most revered and prolific DNA scientist: Yvonne Woods. In January, after…
-
Judge tosses request for JonBenet murder investigative materials
—
by
Boulder County District Judge Nancy Woodruff Salomone on Tuesday rejected a subpoena by Michael Clark’s defense attorney that sought the first 48 hours of police investigative records in the infamous 1996 murder of JonBenet Ramsey. Clark, 50, is facing a second trial in the 1994 murder of Marty Grisham. His lawyer earlier this month sought…
-
Michael Clark murder defense seeks to link case to JonBenét investigation ‘mistakes’
—
by
In new legal filings, Michael Clark, now facing a second trial for a 1994 murder, seeks to link alleged Boulder police missteps in his case with the city’s most notorious cold case: JonBenét Ramsey. The unusual claim came within a flurry of 12 subpoenas to Boulder authorities seeking documents and other information connected to the…
-
Boulder prosecutors to re-try man accused of murder; case part of CBI DNA scandal
—
by
Michael Clark, the man accused of a 31-year-old Boulder murder case but freed from prison on bail in April when his original conviction was set aside, will be tried for second time, a Boulder County prosecutor announced on Thursday. The decision comes after months of speculation on whether Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty, who…
