arapahoe county
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Colorado justices suggest father entitled to appeal of custody decision
Members of the Colorado Supreme Court signaled strongly on Tuesday that a father deserved some avenue for challenging a temporary child custody order that no lower court believed it could review due to the unusual circumstances of the case. Because the appeal involved a child welfare matter, neither the underlying filings describing the case nor…
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Colorado court upholds murder conviction despite jury disobeying instructions
Colorado’s second-highest court upheld an Arapahoe County defendant’s murder conviction last month, even though jurors found he was not the one who shot the victim and the evidence suggested he was not present for the shooting. A three-judge Court of Appeals panel previously determined that jurors in Jacob Alexander Shockey’s trial disobeyed their instructions and…
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Arapahoe County commissioner incumbents run for re-election
Two progressive Arapahoe County commissioners are running for re-election in the June 30 primary against a Cherry Creek School District board director and nonprofit leader. The incumbents are District Four Commissioner Leslie Summey and District Two Commissioner Jessica Campbell. Campbell is running against Democrat Angela Garland. There is one Republican candidate, Carl Schuldies, who is…
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As Colorado’s population growth slows, some metro counties see losses
Population growth in Colorado, which had helped drive the region’s burgeoning economy over recent years, has slowed markedly, with some counties in metro Denver experiencing losses, according to a new report. From 2024 to 2025 the state added just 33,151 residents, marking one of the lowest annual growth cycles it had posted over the past…
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Judge tearing up during victim’s testimony does not warrant new trial, appeals court says
Colorado’s second-highest court concluded on Thursday that an Arapahoe County judge’s visible display of emotion during a child victim’s testimony should not trigger a new trial for the defendant. A three-judge Court of Appeals panel found that defendant Philip Morgan had failed to show how the reaction by District Court Judge Ryan Stuart during trial…
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Arapahoe County defendant serving life could receive new trial after lawyer withheld key details
An Arapahoe County defendant who is serving a life sentence for a 20-year-old murder could receive a new trial because his lawyer withheld key details that affected his decision to decline a plea deal, Colorado’s second-highest court ruled last week. There was no dispute that Michael Evans did not shoot the victim during an October…
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Arapahoe County lawmakers postpone vote on short-term rental regulations after tech issues
Arapahoe County Commissioners delayed an official vote Tuesday on regulating short-term rental properties after technological challenges caused issues for public comment. Commissioners voted to approve the regulations after a public comment period Tuesday, then revoked the vote and rescheduled it to May 12 after technical issues kept online participants from being able to hear or…
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Appeals court reverses conviction after judge blocked questioning about witness’s criminal charges
An Arapahoe County judge violated a defendant’s constitutional right to confront the witnesses against him by blocking the defense from asking a witness about her own pending criminal charges in the same jurisdiction, Colorado’s second-highest court ruled last week. Prosecutors charged Jose Garcia Valdivia with multiple counts of assault and felony menacing. Garcia allegedly got…
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Appeals court reverses assault convictions after jury received no definition of ‘harm’
Colorado’s second-highest court reversed an Arapahoe County defendant’s assault convictions last week, concluding the trial judge neglected to define a key, ambiguous term for jurors. Police officers arrested David Cristobal Aragon at a house party for allegedly violating a restraining order, but he had a series of seizure-like episodes that required transportation to the hospital.…
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Divided Colorado Supreme Court rejects defendant’s claim of deficient DNA investigation
The Colorado Supreme Court decided on Tuesday, by 4-2, that a defendant failed to allege how uninvestigated, inaccessible DNA evidence would have shown he was wrongly convicted. When Jamale D. Townsell filed a petition from prison seeking postconviction relief, he argued his trial lawyer was constitutionally ineffective for failing to properly investigate DNA evidence that…