Author: Lance Benzel
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Colorado Springs man convicted in 2018 shooting that killed woman, maimed witness
A Colorado Springs man known as “Devious” is set to receive a life sentence in prison after a jury this week convicted him of first-degree murder and nine other counts in a 2018 shooting that killed a woman and partially blinded her boyfriend. Some of the convictions handed up against William Camacho Jr., 37, related…
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El Paso County sheriff seeks to settle ACLU suit over ‘mammoth’ jail outbreak
Seven months after COVID-19 sickened more than 1,000 people held at the El Paso County jail, the sheriff’s office wants to settle a class-action lawsuit that blamed “disordered, mismanaged” jail policies for starting the record-setting outbreak. The county Board of Commissioners on Tuesday will consider approving a deal requiring the county and its for-profit medical contractor,…
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Detra Farries granted parole in 2011 dragging death of Colorado Springs tow driver
Detra Farries — who dragged a Colorado Springs tow truck driver and Iraq War veteran to his death while driving away from a tow-in-progress in 2011 — has been granted parole after serving a decade of her 20-year sentence. Farries, 43, appeared Friday before the full parole board and successfully appealed for supervised release, the Colorado Department…
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El Paso, Teller county courts to return to ‘normal’ by July, chief judge says
The El Paso and Teller county courthouses will return to “normal or near-normal operations” by July 6, with only unvaccinated people required to use masks, the Pikes Peak region’s top judge said last week in a new order. Fourth Judicial District Judge William Bain on May 18 cited the availability of vaccines to all adults…
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El Paso County Sheriff’s Office’s tactic for paying mental health tab raises questions
With the purchase of every $7 phone call and overpriced pack of ramen noodles, people held at the El Paso County jail are chipping away at the jail’s mental health care bill — a seemingly novel spin on cost-cutting that critics say is unethical and possibly illegal. The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed…
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El Paso, Teller county courts to return to ‘normal’ by July, chief judge says
The El Paso and Teller county courthouses will return to “normal or near-normal operations” by July 6, with only unvaccinated people required to use masks, the Pikes Peak region’s top judge said Tuesday in a new order. Fourth Judicial District Judge William Bain cited the availability of vaccines to all adults in Colorado and “slowly…
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Man on trial in Colorado Springs murder left ‘bullet holes, blood and weeping witness,’ prosecutors say
A man on trial for first-degree murder opened fire on three people sitting inside a sport-utility vehicle after one of them refused to help him commit a robbery, prosecutors alleged Monday during opening statements. Standing outside the parked Jeep, authorities say, an angered William “Devious” Camacho Jr. offered a curt response to the passenger’s refusal —…
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Judge tosses case against BLM protester in Colorado Springs, citing free speech
A judge has tossed the case against one of 18 people cited in Colorado Springs after a Black Lives Matter protest on Interstate 25, calling it a violation of her free-speech rights. El Paso County Court Senior Judge Stephen Sletta on Wednesday dismissed the lone misdemeanor filed against 21-year-old Molly Avion. In a two-page…
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Police identify victims, gunman in Sunday’s shooting at birthday party in Colorado Springs
A 28-year-old man — upset he was not invited — showed up to a family birthday party and started shooting, killing his girlfriend and five of her family members Sunday in eastern Colorado Springs, according to police. Teodoro Macias, of Colorado Springs, shot six people “in a quick succession” inside a mobile home in eastern Colorado Springs before turning the gun on himself shortly…
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Colorado Springs birthday party killings spotlight year of ‘extreme’ domestic violence, experts say
A shooting that killed seven people at a birthday party in Colorado Springs on Sunday appeared to be the result of domestic violence, according to Mayor John Suthers, highlighting a dark trend in the Pikes Peak region. “We know that this is not a domestic terrorism incident, not an ideologically-driven crime,” Suthers told Gazette news…