Other Victims Asked to Come Forward DENVER— Denver District Attorney Beth McCann today announced that prosecutors with her office have filed 41 felony counts against 41-year-old John Pastor-Mendoza alleging that he kidnapped, sexually assaulted or attempted to sexually assault ten women between September 16, 2018, and July 9, 2022. Pastor-Mendoza allegedly responded as the driver…

DENVER—After a Denver grand jury indicted brothers Sergio Rodarte Jr. (current age 24) and Andrew Rodarte (current age 23) prosecutors with the Denver District Attorney’s Office have charged both men with the 2021 murders of Mariceo Negrete and Josiah Salas. On May 1, 2021, the victims were at a house party in Denver.  The Rodarte…

DENVER – Yesterday morning, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock announced that City Attorney Kristin Bronson will resign her position effective Nov. 2. The following statement is to be attributed to Denver District Attorney Beth McCann. “Kristin Bronson has been an exceptional leader serving Denver through some of the most challenging years we have seen. I have…

DENVER—On Monday, August 8, 2022, Denver police officers responded to the Southwest Recreation Center on a report of a man who appeared to have been shot in the face. That victim, who was pronounced dead on the scene, was later identified by the Office of the Medical Examiner as 14-year-old Josiaz Aragon. The cause of…

DENVER—Prosecutors with the Juvenile Unit of the Denver District Attorney’s Office have direct filed a criminal case against 17-year-old Jameel James for the murder of 31-year-old Kevin Piaskowski. On July 31, 2022, around 11:00 p.m. Denver Police Officers responded to the area of westbound I-70 and N. Quebec Street on reports of a vehicle accident…

DENVER—Today, after deliberating for less than a day, a Denver jury found Michael Close (age 38) guilty of murdering Isabella Thallas and attempting to murder Darian Simon when he shot them in Denver’s Ballpark-area on June 10, 2020. “I am delighted that we were able to get justice for Isabella Thallas and Darian Simon,” said…

DENVER— Denver District Attorney Beth McCann today announced that prosecutors with the Juvenile Unit have direct filed a criminal case against 16-year-old Jalil Mitchell of Aurora. Mitchell is accused of shooting and injuring a 14-year-old male and a 19-year-old male on the afternoon of September 7, 2022, near the Carla Madison Recreation Center and Denver…

DENVER— Denver District Attorney Beth McCann today announced that her office has opened a criminal case against the owner of H&M Relocation Services, David Zoda, whose legal name is Huseyn Nemat-Zoda alleging that Nemat-Zoda used his moving company to commit one count of felony theft (F4). On June 14, 2022, a woman requested an estimate…

 Colorado First in Nation to Move Toward Statewide Use of Data to Improve the Fairness and Effectiveness of the Criminal Justice System Denver – Today, eight Colorado District Attorneys’ (DA) offices unveiled “data dashboards,” a new publicly-available resource designed to promote more effective, just, and transparent decision-making in prosecution. The dashboards were created through the…

 DENVER—On December 2, 2021, Charlotte Chavez (currently 31-years-old) called 911 to report that her one-year-old daughter, Betty, was not breathing. Paramedics responded to the home and transported Betty to Denver Health Medical Center where life saving measures were continued unsuccessfully. Betty’s body was taken to the Denver Morgue that same day and an autopsy was…