His Father’s Obituary

His friend described the dog breeder as a phenomenal dog trainer. The dog breeder also trained service dogs and people would see him walking the dogs through town without a leash. Ten puppies in a recent litter were old enough for adoption. A man from a neighboring state wanted to purchase a puppy for his daughter.

When one of the dog-breeder’s friends hadn’t heard from the 57-year-old for 48 hours, he called the sheriff’s office to report a missing person. A deputy took the report but didn’t go to the property.

The next day, friends called the sheriff’s department again. Deputies responded to the call and went to the property. They found the door to his home open but nobody and no dogs were around—they didn’t conduct a search because they didn’t see a reason to suspect foul play.

Frustrated with the sheriff’s department, a group of friends began a search for their friend. It took them a few minutes to find the dog breeder’s body over an embankment near his home haphazardly covered with leaves and rocks. The friends also saw on social media that the daughter of the man who wanted to purchase a puppy was selling the same breed of puppies that the breeder had for sale.

Law enforcement conducted a search at the home of the man who wanted to buy a puppy for his daughter and found plenty of evidence that he’d been at the breeder’s home and played a role in his murder. When interviewed, he changed his story several times until he admitted to killing the dog breeder. Rather than go to trial, he accepted a plea agreement—pleading guilty to second-degree murder and aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon.

They also arrested his wife. She too accepted a plea deal rather than go to trial—she pleaded guilty to accessory to a crime and misdemeanor theft. The judge gave her a deferred sentence.

At the man's sentencing, the victim’s son gave a victim impact statement and asked the judge to issue the maximum sentence. The son also said to the court,

“A 23-year-old should not have to write his father’s obituary or plan his funeral.”

He added that the chance of parole for this man who killed his father for puppies would be an insult to the family.

Before the judge issued her sentence, she praised the victim’s friends who took search efforts into their own hands to find their friend. The judge sentenced the 36-year-old to 55 years in prison.

The puppies all had microchips. A veterinarian reported to the authorities that she had treated a puppy with one of the microchips—she provided them with the ‘owners’ contact information. Most of the adult dogs and puppies are still unaccounted for.

The sheriff in the county where the murder occurred made a public apology for the department’s unacceptable response to the initial call in this case.

Source: Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office, CBS News, 9News NBC, Denver 7 ABC, Clear Creek Courant

All data and information provided is for information and research purposes only and not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, or individual. Criminal cases may have been appealed or verdicts overturned since I researched the case. All information is provided on an as-is basis.