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News From Colorado Re: Cold Case Investigations

In summary, Paige's father, Frank, is quoted in the article - see the bold highlighting that I put into this. This comes to us from the KCNC-TV, the CBS Affiliate in Denver. Paige's father, Frank, is quoted in the article as saying that he is in favor of abolishing the death penalty in Colorado because it is more important to find and prosecute killers who are still on the loose than to execute the ones who have already been tried and convicted. There is a fierce debate between prosecutors and some victims' families over this proposal. Some supporters of the bill say that abolishing the death penalty would save money, while others say that it is more important to find and prosecute killers than to execute them. The Colorado
The_Kitchen_Guy
Silver Member
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This isn't really news, it's an update on a story that has been ongoing for some time. Paige's father, Frank, is quoted in the article - see the bold highlighting that I put into this. This comes to us from the KCNC-TV, the CBS Affiliate in Denver.


Associated Press said:
* Sat, 02 May 2009 15:20:05 GMT

Colo. may end death penalty to focus on cold cases


DENVER (AP) Colorado and nine other states considered abolishing the death penalty this year to save money, but Colorado's proposal has a twist: It would use the savings to investigate about 1,400 unsolved slayings.

The measure has started a fierce debate between prosecutors and some victims' families. Prosecutors want to keep capital punishment as an option for heinous crimes, and they say the bill has raised unrealistic hopes about solving cold cases.

Supporters of the bill say it's more important to find and prosecute killers still on the loose than to execute the ones already tried and convicted.

''The death penalty is not relevant without a murderer brought to trial,'' said Laurie Wiedeman, the older sister of 17-year-old Gay Lynn Dixon, whose 1982 slaying remains unsolved. ''I would like to see the person who killed my sister put to death. But to have that person free to run around and committing other crimes?''

Abolishing the death penalty would save an estimated $1 million a year in Colorado now spent on prosecutors' time, public defenders' fees and appeals, according to a legislative analysis. Supporters of the Colorado measure want that money diverted to the Colorado Bureau of Investigations cold case unit, which has just one staffer. The extra money could add eight people to the unit, the legislative analysis said.

The Colorado House narrowly passed the measure in late April, and the Senate is expected to vote before the session ends Wednesday.

Gov. Bill Ritter hasn't publicly said whether he would sign it, if it passes. Ritter was Denver's district attorney before becoming governor, and in that job he unsuccessfully sought capital punishment seven times. Before becoming district attorney in 1993, Ritter had expressed personal doubts about capital punishment.

Colorado Attorney General John Suthers and all but one of the state's district attorneys oppose the bill. Even if the savings were applied to a cold case unit, which Suthers and other said isn't guaranteed by the bill, many cases may remain unsolved.

''I think it's a sad situation,'' Suthers said. ''You have hundreds of ... parents of murdered children, sitting there being led to believe that if they abolish the death penalty in Colorado their child's death will be solved.

''A million dollars doesn't buy you a lot of cold case investigation,'' he said.

Proponents of the bill, led by Evergreen-based Families of Homicide Victims and Missing Persons, say Colorado's death penalty is so rarely used that it's not a deterrent. The group says hundreds of thousands of dollars are wasted trying to put people to death when hundreds of murderers are free.

Suthers and other prosecutors say additional DNA testing, including a proposal pending in the Legislature to take samples at the time of a felony arrest, could do more than expanding the state's cold case unit to solve old cases.

Colorado has executed only one person in the past 42 years, Gary Lee Davis, put to death in 1997 for his conviction in a 1986 slaying.

Two men remain on Colorado's death row. Sir Mario Owens was convicted last year in the shooting deaths of Javad Marshall-Fields, a potential witness in a murder trial, and Vivian Wolfe, Marshall-Fields' fiancee. Nathan Dunlap was convicted in 1996 of murder, attempted murder and other charges for killing four people and wounding a fifth at a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant in Aurora in December 1993.

Both cases are in the appeals process.

The mothers of Marshall-Fields and Wolfe support the death penalty.

New Mexico this year became the second state to abolish the death penalty since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment in 1976. New Jersey abolished the death penalty in 2007.

Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire and Texas considered abolishing the death penalty, but bills in those states have stalled, said Richard Dieter, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center in Washington, D.C.

''It (budgetary concerns) was a prominent issue and an impetus for these bills getting hearings this year,'' Dieter said.

Families of Homicide Victims and Missing Persons documented 1,434 unsolved slayings in Colorado since 1970, and a CBI database for law enforcement closely matches those numbers

''We have 1,400 murderers walking around. We don't feel threatened by it, but we should,'' said Frank Birgfeld, whose 34-year-old daughter Paige Birgfeld disappeared from Grand Junction in July 2007 and is presumed dead.

But cold cases become harder to solve as time passes. In February, 65-year-old Tina Louise Lester was arrested in Ohio on a 1968 warrant in a Denver shooting death, but District Attorney Mitch Morrissey decided against filing charges because of the lack of witnesses who could counter Lester's self-defense claim.

''Two men in that bar, who are pivotal witnesses would have been in their late 80s,'' Morrissey said.

Morrissey said Denver's 11-person cold case unit sometimes identifies a suspect who is already serving a lengthy prison sentence or is dead. That brings some answers to victims' families but not the definitive conclusion of a conviction.

''Just because we're grieving doesn't mean we're stupid,'' said Howard Morton, executive director of Families of Homicide Victims and Missing Persons, whose 19-year-old son Guy Oliver was the victim of a still-unsolved 1975 slaying in Arizona.

''We want these cases to be effectively addressed by the state. We know they won't all be solved,'' he said. ''We think that some of them will be, and more importantly it sends a signal that for those who have gotten away with murder, we're coming after you.''

(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. In the interest of timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain occasional typographical errors. )
 
Thanks KG. I can't believe it's been so long!
 
  • Thread starter
  • #3
Yes, it's coming up on two years with no real break in the case. We've had some false alarms and we even have some pretty good theories of what happened, but they are just that, theories, with no evidence to solve Paige's disappearance. It would help immensely if we could find her.
 
Thanks KG. Eight additional investigators would be over 15,000 additional man-hours a year. It breaks my heart that those responsible for Paige's disappearance are walking around free.
 
This is probably such a stupid question (don't know all the technicalities of this site) but why does Paige's profile say her last activity was in September of 2007?

And I guess I don't understand how abolishing the death penalty would save any money. Wouldn't it cost more to keep criminals on a life sentence? What they need to do to fix the problem is adjust the standards they allow criminals to appeal their sentences.
 
  • Thread starter
  • #7
No one is exactly sure why Paige's account was accessed after her disappearance. The common belief is that her account might have been accessed by someone from LE (Law Enforcement) or other investigator. As for savings...the fifth paragraph of the article sums it up. "Abolishing the death penalty would save an estimated $1 million a year in Colorado now spent on prosecutors' time, public defenders' fees and appeals, according to a legislative analysis. Supporters of the Colorado measure want that money diverted to the Colorado Bureau of Investigations cold case unit, which has just one staffer. The extra money could add eight people to the unit, the legislative analysis said."
 
Yeah, but what they're really saying is that the $1 million isn't spent on the actual death penalty; it's spent on the appeals. So, my thought would be to limit the appeals, not the death penalty because how much is the state (any state) spending on an inmate in one year, let alone in a lifetime? It's truly an astronomical figure. It seems, however harsh it might be, that the death penalty would be a more economical choice. At least in the long run it would be if they limited the number of appeals.
 
  • Thread starter
  • #9
The right to appeal is granted to all citizens, including prisoners. As unappealing (no pun intended, for once) as that may be to some, it is the law of the land.Detractors of this bill say that $1 million wouldn't do much to solve cold cases. Proponents say that even $1 million would go far to help solve the cold cases.
 
  • #10
Certainly they should have the right to appeal, but I'm always a little appalled at how many times they can be appealed. It's a sticky situation.
 
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  • #11
I don't disagree with you, but also at issue are judges who agree to hear the appeals instead of refusing them.
 
  • #12
so true! some of these judges really need to throw out some of the ridiculous court cases!
 
  • #13
How does one judge? I would have thrown out the "McDonald's served me a hot cup of coffee...I spilled it on myself...I sued and was awarded buckets of money!!" case!!

What struck me the most about this article is the suffering these families endure. I can not imagine having a child of mine murdered or missing first of all but this one poor family has been left wondering for 34 years. And they are JUST one of many.

I just can't judge which would be more comfort to the family...finding the killer and or hopefully what happened to their loved one and having the remains to return home or living in the living hell they must go through by not knowing. And I pray anyone I know has to ever go through what they go through.

Hats off to KG for such diligence in keeping us up to date on Paige. Thank you seems just too little of an appreciation.
 
  • #14
baychef said:
Hats off to KG for such diligence in keeping us up to date on Paige. Thank you seems just too little of an appreciation.


Couldn't have said it better myself. Thank you, KG!
 
  • #15
Apparently the appeals are working ...

Colorado has executed only one person in the past 42 years, Gary Lee Davis, put to death in 1997 for his conviction in a 1986 slaying.
 

1. What is the purpose of the "News From Colorado Re: Cold Case Investigations"?

The purpose of "News From Colorado Re: Cold Case Investigations" is to provide updates and information on ongoing cold case investigations in Colorado. This newsletter is meant to keep the public informed and potentially gather new leads or information on these cases.

2. How often is the newsletter released?

The newsletter is typically released on a monthly basis, but the frequency may vary depending on the number of ongoing investigations and information available to share.

3. Who can subscribe to the newsletter?

Anyone can subscribe to the "News From Colorado Re: Cold Case Investigations" newsletter. It is available to the general public and can be accessed through the official website of the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

4. Can I submit tips or information through the newsletter?

Yes, the newsletter includes a section for submitting tips or information on the featured cold case investigations. You can also contact the Colorado Bureau of Investigation directly with any tips or information.

5. Are there any success stories from the newsletter?

Yes, there have been several cases where tips or information received through the newsletter have led to breakthroughs in cold case investigations. The newsletter has been an effective tool in generating public interest and involvement in these cases.

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