Denver DA Issues Decision After Review of Convicted Murderer’s Case

DENVER — Denver District Attorney Beth McCann today announced that, after a lengthy review by her office’s Conviction Review Unit (CRU), she has determined that Hal Hebert’s claims of innocence lack any merit.

On April 12, 2001, Carol Hebert’s body was found in the trunk of her car.  She had been shot in the back of the head.  Denver Police Department detectives later determined that her husband, Hal Hebert, killed her in their house in the Bonne Brae neighborhood, put her body in the trunk of her car and, after driving a few miles away, parked the car in the 15-hundred block of Valencia Street in east Denver.

In June of 2003, a jury convicted Hebert of first-degree murder, after which he was sentenced to life in prison.  His appeals in both state and federal court were all denied.  In 2022, Hebert filed a request with the Denver DA to have his case reviewed.  In response to Hebert’s claims, the CRU conducted an exhaustive review, which included a complete examination of the underlying case, as well as an independent investigation and additional DNA testing.

“After carefully reviewing all the evidence in the case, I have no doubt that Hal Hebert murdered his wife and was properly convicted by a jury of his peers.  I want to thank the prosecutors and investigators in my office, as well as the detectives with the Denver Police Department, whose work on the case more than 20 years ago resulted in Hebert’s conviction and ensured that he was held accountable for this murder.  I also want to thank the members of my Conviction Review Unit for their extremely thorough examination of the case,” said DA McCann.  “Contrary to Mr. Hebert’s claims, there is no evidence that any member of the prosecution team or any law enforcement officer engaged in any wrongdoing.”

Hebert also filed a motion with the Denver District Court for additional DNA testing. On December 28, 2023, the Denver District Court denied Hebert’s motion, finding that “the record reveals substantial evidence from which the jury could have inferred the defendant’s guilt.”

About the Denver DA’s Office:

Our mission is to professionally and competently prosecute crimes and investigate criminal activity on behalf of the people of Colorado, and to seek equal justice for all in the criminal justice system. Our mission also includes preventing crime, supporting the well-being of victims, being involved in the community, being transparent and accountable, and improving the criminal justice system to provide fair alternatives to incarceration in appropriate cases.

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