death penalty
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Secret orders, requests for recusal bog down Colorado’s death penalty prosecution
Colorado’s only criminal case in which federal prosecutors are actively pursuing the death penalty has taken unusual turns in recent weeks, with defense attorneys continuing to challenge the judge’s ability to hear the case and the judge issuing orders not available for public viewing. Ishmael Petty stands accused of killing a fellow inmate at the…
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Federal judge declines to recuse from death penalty case after Supermax visit
A federal judge declined to recuse herself last month from a death penalty case arising out of Colorado’s “Supermax” prison, finding that her tour of the facility earlier this year did not bias her decision-making. U.S. District Court Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney is presiding over the federal murder prosecution of Ishmael Petty, who is accused…
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Weld County judge wrongly denied bail to murder defendant in gap between law change
Colorado’s second-highest court ruled this month that a Weld County judge was wrong to deny bail to a murder defendant in the window between the state Supreme Court’s recognition of the right to bail and the voters’ subsequent overruling of that decision through a 2024 constitutional amendment. Moises Rodriguez-Nunez stands accused of first-degree murder for…
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Colorado justices issue revised opinion in Robert Ray appeal, addressing life without parole sentence
The Colorado Supreme Court issued a modified decision last week in the appeal of former death row inmate Robert Keith Ray, addressing and rejecting his arguments about the constitutionality of his life sentence. Arapahoe County jurors convicted Ray for the 2005 slayings of Javad Marshall-Fields and Vivian Wolfe. He received a death sentence and remained…
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Robert Ray’s murder convictions upheld despite numerous errors, Colorado Supreme Court rules
The Colorado Supreme Court on Monday declined to grant a new trial to a man convicted for orchestrating a pair of 20-year-old murders in Aurora, despite identifying numerous errors at his trial. Arapahoe County jurors convicted Robert Keith Ray for the 2005 slayings of Javad Marshall-Fields and Vivian Wolfe. He received a death sentence and…
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A tattoo, the N-word, a different crime: Colorado justices hear appeal of former death row inmate
Almost 20 years after the murders of a young couple in Aurora, the Colorado Supreme Court heard the appeal of the man convicted of orchestrating the killings and who now alleges numerous errors pervaded his trial. Arapahoe County jurors convicted Robert Keith Ray for the 2005 slayings of Javad Marshall-Fields and Vivian Wolfe. He received…
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Colorado Supreme Court upholds murder convictions of Sir Mario Owens
The Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the 2008 murder convictions of Sir Mario Owens, rejecting a long list of alleged errors in one of the most high-profile criminal cases in recent state history. Arapahoe County jurors previously found Owens guilty of the 2005 murders of Javad Marshall-Fields and Vivian Wolfe in Aurora. Marshall-Fields was…
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Riverbeds, virtual court, sex abuse and more: The Colorado Supreme Court’s biggest decisions of 2022-23 | COVER STORY
The Colorado Supreme Court this week wrapped up its calendar of oral arguments and weekly releases of decisions until the fall, leaving behind a roster of major rulings and edicts affecting the administration of justice. Chief Justice Brian D. Boatright said at a lawyers-and-judges conference in May that during the past year, the state’s highest court…
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Colorado Supreme Court rules ex-death penalty crimes now eligible for bail
Three years after Colorado lawmakers repealed the death penalty, the state Supreme Court has clarified that defendants accused of crimes formerly subject to capital punishment are now eligible to be released on bail. The Colorado Constitution generally grants criminal defendants the right to bail pending trial, but carves out an exception for “capital offenses” where…
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Colorado Supreme Court considers whether vestige of death penalty still applies
On July 1, 2020, Colorado ended the death penalty for the most serious criminal offenses, following a multiyear effort from Democratic lawmakers – with some Republican support – to join 21 other states in abolishing capital punishment. But three years later, Colorado’s death penalty is not completely dead. Last week, the state Supreme Court heard oral arguments…