Jason Groshart Sentenced for 2004 Kidnapping

DENVER — Denver District Attorney John Walsh has announced that Jason Groshart was sentenced today to 32 years in prison.  On July 30, Groshart pleaded guilty to one count of Kidnapping and one count of Attempted Sexual Assault.

On March 30, 2004, Groshart broke into the victim’s home in Denver dressed in all black, including a black mask and black gloves. When he entered the victim’s bedroom, Groshart threatened her with a semi-automatic handgun, handcuffed her arms behind her back, placed a black mask over her head and sexually assaulted her. After forcing the victim to shower, Groshart demanded a trash bag from the victim and proceeded to collect the bed sheets, towels and other evidence that he would take with him when he left. On the way out the door, he unplugged the victim’s home phone.

The case went cold until 2022, when the Denver Police Department and Denver Crime Lab reopened the investigation using investigative genetic genealogy, which identified an investigative lead in the case. Further investigation into that lead confirmed that the suspect DNA profile belonged to Groshart.

“It’s hard to imagine the terror the victim felt during and after this horrific crime, and it is my hope that this significant sentence gives her some sense of comfort that Jason Groshart will likely never be able to victimize anyone else ever again,” said DA Walsh.  “I want to thank the prosecutors, investigators and victim advocates in my office, as well as the Denver Police Department’s Cold Case Unit and Crime Lab, whose outstanding work over many years brought about the case’s successful resolution.  I also want to acknowledge the Bureau of Justice Assistance, which funded the use of genetic genealogy in the case.”

Senior Chief Deputy District Attorney Dawn Weber and Associate Deputy District Attorney McKenna Burke were the lead prosecutors for the Denver DA’s Office; Frank Rocha was the Investigator; Maribel Salazar and Sylvia Alvarado were the Victim Advocates; and Matthew Dunford was the Legal Administrative Assistant. Detective Anthony Parisi, Detective Marty Smith and Sergeant Joe Vasquez led the investigation for the Denver Police Department.

To see Groshart’s arrest affidavit and booking photo, click here.

About the Denver DA’s Office:

The mission of the Denver DA’s Office is to protect the community, to seek equal justice for all, and to improve the quality and fairness of criminal justice on behalf of the people of Colorado.   We achieve that mission through excellence in our work investigating and prosecuting crime, supporting victims and their families, working with the community to prevent crime, and providing fair alternatives to incarceration in appropriate cases.

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