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domestic violence

Douglas County man who attacked wife with sword sentenced to prison

Douglas Co. man who attacked wife with sword sentenced to prison

Thomas Averill Keller

A Douglas County man who attacked his wife with a Samurai sword in a horrific domestic violence incident was sentenced to 14 years in prison.

Thomas Averill Keller, 59, pleaded guilty Feb. 14 to one count of attempted second-degree murder. Other charges were dismissed as part of the plea agreement. Douglas County District Court Judge Theresa Slade immediately sentenced Keller to 14 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections.

“Violence is not a normal part of any relationship,” said District Attorney John Kellner. “This defendant attacked his wife and nearly killed her. His circle of blaming her for his aggression and then apologizing and saying it will never happen again ends here.”

On Dec. 19, 2019, Keller’s wife frantically called 911. She told the dispatcher her husband was out of control with a knife, and she didn’t feel safe. While the wife was on the phone, the 911 dispatcher heard her scream, “Tom get away from me, put that sword away!”

The wife was hiding in a bedroom closet. Keller broke through the door and swung a katana type sword at her. The blow hit her on the wrist and severed two arteries and three tendons.

The wife was able to shove her way past Keller and run into the street, where an arriving deputy immediately applied a tourniquet. Doctors later said the tourniquet saved her life.

Other deputies found Keller in the house and took him into custody after a brief standoff.

“This defendant had been previously charged for felony level domestic violence with the same victim and received treatment; yet here we are in court sentencing him again after another domestic violence offense,” said Senior Deputy District Attorney Valerie Brewster, who prosecuted the case with Deputy District Attorney Sherri Giger. “The defendant tried to blame alcohol and at times the victim for his behavior. This sentence is a clear message that the defendant and the defendant alone is responsible for his actions. But for the strength and courage of this victim the People would not have been able to hold him accountable.”

If you are in an abusive relationship, get help from the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (723) or thehotline.org

Man who strangled Aurora woman sentenced to 60 years in prison

Ally Raber’s family waited nearly four years. On Thursday, they sat in an Arapahoe County courtroom and listened as a judge imposed sentence on the man who killed her.

Arturo Garcia

And they went home without her, as they always do and always will.

“Nothing will change the reality that I am the parent of a murdered child, and I am the one with a life sentence,” Raber’s mother told the judge.

Arapahoe District Court Judge Shay Whitaker sentenced Arturo Garcia, 24, to 60 years in the Colroado Department of Corrections. He pleaded guilty April 7 to second-degree murder in Raber’s death. Other counts were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

“This was a domestic violence power-and-control relationship, and (Garcia) exercised the ultimate power over her when he killed her,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Gary Dawson told the court during the June 17 hearing during which he asked for the maximum sentence allowed under the plea agreement. “There is an extraordinary history of domestic violence.”

Aurora police officers found the body of Alexandrea Victoria Raber in a motel room when they responded to a maid’s 911 call on July 2, 2017. Raber had been strangled; she was 18 years old. Garcia left her body where he killed her and fled to Mexico.

The investigation revealed that Raber and Garcia had been a couple in which Garcia had a history of domestic abuse. Garcia was on probation for hurting Raber when he killed her. In the hotel room, police found Garcia’s driver’s license and numerous court documents from his prior case, including the probation paperwork and the protection order forbidding him to have contact with Raber.

“She truly believed she could help him,” her stepfather told the judge. “He took advantage of that innocence, and when he could no longer control her, he ended her life.”

Garcia was expelled from Mexico and appeared in court to face charges in Raber’s death in June 2019. The pandemic delayed the court proceedings.

“This defendant previously pleaded guilty to hurting Ally. He admitted that abuse and could have used that opportunity to learn from his mistakes,” said District Attorney John Kellner. “He chose not to take the path of rehabilitation, and instead he killed Ally – by all accounts an extraordinary young woman with great things in front of her.

“The way Ally’s family has responded and the strength they have shown is testament to the difference she made in the world.”

Dawson prosecuted the case with Deputy District Attorney Lisa Gramer.

Whitaker sentenced Garcia to the maximum 48 years in prison on the murder count and 12 years on the “tampering with a witness” case where his felony probation was revoked, to be served consecutively.

Man gets 45 years in domestic violence attempted murder case

An Englewood man who ambushed his estranged wife and her companion in Aurora and shot at them, hitting one of the victims seven times, has been sentenced to 45 years in prison.

David William Torrez

Arapahoe District Court Judge Darren Vahle sentenced David William Torrez, 35, to the maximum sentence allowed under the plea agreement. Torrez pleaded guilty March 4 to attempted first-degree murder after deliberation, a Class 2 felony; other counts were dismissed.

“Thanks to the hard work of the Aurora Police Department, the judge handed down an appropriate sentence that recognizes the horrors these victims have fought through,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Elizabeth Oldham, head of the Domestic Violence unit and one of the prosecutors on the case. “We hope this will provide the victims some sense of security.”

“Domestic violence knows no cultural, economic or geographic boundaries; it is an insidious crime we see in all communities,” said District Attorney John Kellner. “This was an especially egregious case deserving of a strong sentence. I am proud of the work my Domestic Violence team does for all DV victims, and especially their work on this case.”

On Feb. 21, 2020, Aurora Police were called to South Pagosa Way where they found a man in a car who had been shot seven times, including twice in the head. A 38-year-old woman who was not shot was with the male victim in the car.

The man, who was 40 years old at the time, was taken to a hospital.

The woman told police she was separated from her husband, Torrez, and that he had been harassing and stalking her, including placing tracing devices on vehicles she used.

The male victim was her companion. Her estranged husband had followed them and approached them in the car. Torrez shot at the man as he covered her body with his. The estranged wife heard Torrez say “I hope you’re happy with yourself.”

Torrez was located that evening in Dacono and arrested.

“Mr. Torrez not only stalked the victims in this case, he hunted them. In a planned execution, the defendant shot one of the victims seven times — including twice in the head — while the victim protected the defendant’s estranged wife from the bullets,” said Senior Deputy District Attorney Brian Eckhardt, who prosecuted the case with Oldham. “This would have been a double homicide but for the strength and determination of the victims.”

The victims in the case offered a statement, as well:

“We would like to publicly thank those who worked so tirelessly and tremendously on this case for both of us. From the first officer on scene, to the medics who arrived so quickly, to Dave Sutherland and his amazing team at the Aurora Police Department, and of course to Brian Eckhart and Elizabeth Oldham, the DAs who put so much care into their prosecution and fighting for justice for us as survivors. We will forever be grateful to those mentioned and everyone in between. Gratitude is so forgotten these days, but we are grateful.

“And to any woman or any person who might be in a situation of control and abuse: Please get help. You do not have to be in a situation where you’re being beaten for it to get bad, drastically and progressively. If there is extreme verbal, social, emotional and other forms of abuse — stalking and physical abuse will soon follow. Seek help, and get the law involved early. You are not alone, and it is not normal or justifiable to be in a home filled with fear, control and threats. The only reason we are alive today is because of a hero who sacrificed his body, and for the tireless medical efforts along with miracles that kept that hero alive.”

Aurora man will spend life in prison for strangling fiance

An Aurora man who strangled and killed his fiancé faces life in prison after an Arapahoe County District Court jury found him guilty of her death.

Sterling Dwayne Austin

The jury deliberated four hours before announcing they had found Sterling Dwayne Austin, 58, guilty of first-degree murder after deliberation in the death of Aurora Coleman, who was 23 when she was killed.

“All murders are acts of lawlessness and evil, but there is something particularly torturous about strangling a person to death, feeling them struggle to live and watching the life drain from their faces at less than arms-length for up to five minutes. Five minutes,” said District Attorney George Brauchler. “This is why we build prisons. Our office had eight murder trials in 2018. This is the 15th murder trial in our courts this year already.”

On Jan. 7, 2017, Austin called 911 to report Coleman needed medical assistance. First-responders found her deceased in Austin’s car.

Austin told police he thought she had taken drugs and passed out. He said he was afraid to call for help earlier because he did not want to get her in trouble.

But 12 hours prior to the 911 call, the police learned a witness reported seeing a man in that car punching and choking a woman. The man drove off before police arrived.

The coroner determined Coleman had been strangled, and the evidence led to murder charges against Austin.

“The defendant claimed he loved and cared about Ms. Coleman, but his actions showed otherwise,” said Deputy District Attorney Casey Brown, who prosecuted the case with Chief Deputy District Attorney Victoria Klingensmith. “The defendant made no effort to summon medical assistance and drove around with Ms. Coleman’s deceased body for 12 hours before attempting to mislead responders.”

Jurors convicted Austin on April 11 of one count of first-degree murder after deliberation. Sentencing is set for June 6. The statutorily madated sentence for that count is life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Highlands Ranch man guilty of assault on former wife

A Douglas County District Court jury has found a 42-year-old man from Highlands Ranch guilty of an assault on his former wife.

Michael Kichin Choi was found guilty last week of “assault 2-strangulation act of domestic violence,” a fourth-class felony.

“Our community needs to have faith that the law applies equally to everyone, current and former members of law enforcement included. It is unacceptable that a man trained in de-escalation, who likely responded to numerous domestic violence calls, would visit violence upon his former spouse,” said District Attorney George Brauchler. “Douglas County law enforcement continues to make addressing domestic violence a priority.”

On June 24, 2018, Douglas County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a home in Highlands Ranch on a report of domestic violence.

The woman at the residence said she and her ex-husband, Choi, had been at a social event together. Afterwards she invited Choi to her apartment and they got into an argument while talking about why they got a divorce.

Choi hit the woman on the cheek with his open hand. She fell backward, and Choi kicked her, causing her to fall to the ground. Then, he put his foot on her neck, cutting off her blood flow until she became unconscious.

The defendant is a former Douglas County Sheriff’s Office deputy. He left the agency in early 2015.

Sentencing is set for June 3 at 1:30 pm.