Intimidation of victims and witnesses undermines the functioning of the justice system
by denying critical evidence to police and prosecutors. This long-standing problem
also erodes confidence in the government’s ability to protect citizens. Below are
recent articles on the progress of the case, as well as news on Foundation events.
Channel 7 News (Denver) - VIEW MULTIPLE NEWS COVERAGE (Video & Print) of the
trial of Sir Mario Owens, the convicted killer of Javad Marshall Fields and Vivian Wolfe
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Jury selection in ray murder trial under way
August 11, 2008
Denver 9 News
Arapaho, C - Jury selection in the murder trial of a man accused of murdering a witness and his fiancée is under way. Robert Ray is one of three people accused of killing Javad Marshall Fields and Vivian Wolfe. Parrish Carter is also charged with first-degree murder. In June, Sir Mario Owens was sentenced to death by lethal injection for their deaths.
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Murder Victims' Mothers Give To Those Who Helped
June 22, 2008
Denver CBS 4
AURORA, CO - T The mothers of two murder victims in Colorado are giving back to those who gave them justice. District attorneys, police and lawmakers turned out for the third annual Javad Marshall-Fields and Vivian Wolfe Community Awards Celebration..
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Sister of murdered grad inspires crowd at memorial
June 21, 2008
BY TREVOR HUGHES -Coloradoan.com
AURORA, CO - The Power of One The Courage to Lead annual community awards celebration in honor of Javad Marshall Fields and Vivian Wolfe was held Friday night.. Friends, family, and members of the criminal justice community got together on the third anniversary of the death of Fields and Wolfe and just four days after a jury returned the verdict of death to Sir Mario Owens.
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2 honored in memory of Wolfe and Fields
June 21, 2008
Denver 9 News
AURORA, CO - The Power of One The Courage to Lead annual community awards celebration in honor of Javad Marshall Fields and Vivian Wolfe was held Friday night.. Friends, family, and members of the criminal justice community got together on the third anniversary of the death of Fields and Wolfe and just four days after a jury returned the verdict of death to Sir Mario Owens.
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ENTIRE Online Article HERE: |
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DA Satisfied With Owens Death Sentence
June 19, 2008
Denver 4 News
CENTENNIAL, CO - The district attorney for Arapahoe County says she is satisfied with the death sentence given to Sir Mario Owens. On Monday, a jury sentenced Owens to death for the murder of potential witness Javad Marshall-Fields and his fiancée Vivian Wolfe. The two were shot to death in their car more than three years ago.
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Owens given death sentence in witness killing
June 19, 2008
Denver 9 News
CENTENNIAL, CO - A high school drop-out convicted of killing an engaged couple has been sentenced to death. After a three-month- long trial, the jury decided late Monday afternoon that Sir Mario Owens should go to death row. more..... |
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Experts say it could be 15 to 19 years before Owens' execution
June 19, 2008
Denver 9 News
CENTENNIAL, CO - If history is any guide, it will take quite some time before Sir Mario Owens is executed in Colorado. On Monday, a jury of six men and six women sentenced the 23-year-old Owens to death by lethal injection for the murders of Javad Marshall-Fields and his fiancée Vivian Wolfe. Marshall-Fields was set to testify against Owens in a separate murder trial. more..... |
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The Death Penalty Dilemma - Commentary
June 19, 2008
By JULIE HAYDEN - Denver's Fox News 31
Denver, CO - Christine Wolfe said she planned to visit her daughter's grave to tell her, "We did it Vivian. Justice was served." 22-year-old Vivian and her fiancé Javad Marshall Fields were murdered three years ago this Friday. The jury earlier convicted 23-year-old Sir Mario Owens and has now sentenced him to death. more..... |
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ENTIRE Online Article HERE: |
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Jury sentences Sir Mario Owens to death
June 16, 2008
The Denver Post
CENTENNIAL, CO - A jury determined Monday that Sir Mario Owens should be put to death for the June 2005 deaths of Javad Marshall-Fields and Marshall-Fields' fiancee, Vivian Wolfe. The two were shot to death in their car at an Aurora intersection. Marshall-Fields had been scheduled to testify in a murder trial involving Owens' friend, Robert Ray. more..... |
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Jury recommends death for Owens
June 16, 2008
By Coloradoan staff and wire services
CENTENNIAL, CO - Jurors decided today that Sir Mario Owens should die for the slaying of a potential witness and his fiancee. Jurors last month found the 23-year-old Owens guilty of first-degree murder in the June 2005 deaths of Javad Marshall-Fields and Marshall-Fields’ fiancee, Vivian Wolfe. Both were both CSU graduates.. more..... |
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ENTIRE Online Article HERE: |
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Jury Sentences Convicted Murderer To Death
June 16, 2008
Examiner.com Denver
CENTENNIAL, CO - T The jury in the Sir Mario Owens trial decided Monday afternoon that he should be sentenced to death for gunning down a young couple, including a witness in a murder trial. more..... |
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ENTIRE Online Article HERE: |
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Jury deliberates penalty in Sir Mario Owens' case
June 16, 2008
Examiner.com Denver
ARAPAHOE COUNTY - The jury deciding the fate of Sir Mario Owens resumes deliberations Monday in the penalty phase of his double-murder trial.
The same group of jurors last month found the 23-year-old Owens guilty of first-degree murder in the June 2005 deaths of Javad Marshall-Fields and Marshall-Fields' fiancee, Vivian Wolfe. more.....
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Jury Still Out In Owens Death Penalty Decision
June 15, 2008
by Jodi Brooks, CBS 4 Denver
ARAPAHOE COUNTY - A jury in Arapahoe County has the weekend off before they'll decide if a convicted killer should get the death penalty.
he same jury that found Sir Mario Owens guilty of killing a witness and his fiancé will report back to court on Monday. more..... |
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ENTIRE Online Article HERE: |
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Jury Deliberates Murderers Fate
June 13, 2008
By Julie Hayden, Fox 31
ARAPAHOE COUNTY - A jury is now deciding whether convicted killer, Sir Mario Owens, is sentenced to death or to life in prison.
Jurors got the case about 4 this afternoon, went home for the weekend at 5pm and will return Monday morning. more..... |
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Witnesses to justice for slain couple
June 13, 2008
By Carlos Illescas , Denver Post
ARAPAHOE COUNTY -Jurors must now decide whether Sir Mario Owens deserves to be put to death for killing a witness and his fiancee after the panel found him guilty of first-degree murder Wednesday.
The jury deliberated for 2 1/2 days before reaching the unanimous verdict in Arapahoe County District Court. more.....
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Closing arguments set Friday in penalty phase of Owens trial
June 13, 2008
Examiner.com
CENTENNIAL, Colo. -Jurors in Centennial will listen to closing arguments Friday in the penalty phase of a trial for a man already convicted of murder.
The same jury found 23-year-old Sir Mario Owens guilty in May of first-degree murder in the June 2005 deaths of Javad Marshall-Fields and Marshall-Fields' fiancee, Vivian Wolfe. more.....
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Jury in Owens death penalty case breaks for weekend with no decision
June 13, 2008
Sara Gandy, Channel 9 News Denver
ARAPAHOE COUNTY -About 20 minutes after they got the case on Friday afternoon, the jury asked to decide if Sir Mario Owens will get the death penalty decided to break for the weekend and resume their deliberations on Monday. . more..... |
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Jurors shed tears as mothers describe their loss
June 11, 2008
Jeffrey Wolf, Channel 9 News - Denver
AURORA - The man convicted of gunning down an eyewitness to murder could speak on his own behalf on Thursday in the death penalty phase of his trial.
Sir Mario Owens has been convicted of the double murder of Javad Marshall-Fields and his fiancée Vivian Wolfe. He is now facing the death penalty. more.....
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Witnesses to justice for slain couple
May 25, 2008
By Carlos Illescas , Demver Post
Jurors must now decide whether Sir Mario Owens deserves to be put to death for killing a witness and his fiancee after the panel found him guilty of first-degree murder Wednesday..
Sir Mario Owens has been convicted of the double murder of Javad Marshall-Fields and his fiancée Vivian Wolfe. He is now facing the death penalty. more.....
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Sir Mario Owens likely eligible for death penalty
May 21, 2008
By Howard Pankratz , Denver Post
ARAPAHOE COUNTY - An Arapahoe County jury today found that Sir Mario Owens is potentially eligible for the death penalty, saying he was a major player in the deaths of Javad Marshall-Fields, Vivian Wolfe and Gregory Vann. The jury agreed with prosecutors that there were a series of aggravating factors surrounding the homicides. more..... |
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Killer's lawyers blame hyperactivity
May 21, 2008
By Howard Pankratz , Denver Post
ARAPAHOE COUNTY - Lawyers for convicted murderer Sir Mario Owens portrayed their client Wednesday as a young man suffering from attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, which, when combined with his environment and upbringing, resulted in Owens making bad decisions.. more..... |
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Convicted killer's mother testifies in her son's defense
May 20, 2008
posted by: Dan Boniface , Web Producer
9 News Denver
ARAPAHOE COUNTY - A convicted murderer's defense team began its effort on Wednesday to try to convince jurors that convicted killer Sir Mario Owens doesn't deserve to die for his crimes . more..... |
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Johnson: When every option hurts, justice is a consolation.
May 20, 2008
By Howard Pankratz
The Denver Post
CENTENNIAL, Colo. --It had taken so long. There was the public pleading, the bus-bench ads she paid for, the weekend vigils she and Christine Wolfe stood in parks, holding photographs of their slain children. . more..... |
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Strong chance of death for Owens
May 20, 2008
By Howard Pankratz
The Denver Post
CENTENNIAL, Colo. -- An Arapahoe County jury today found that Sir Mario Owens is potentially eligible for the death penalty, saying he was a major player in the deaths of Javad Marshall-Fields, Vivian Wolfe and Gregory Vann.. more..... |
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State pushes death penalty in pair's slaying
May 20, 2008
By Howard Pankratz
The Denver Post
CENTENNIAL, Colo. -- The murders of Gregory Vann, Javad Marshall-Fields and Vivian Wolfe are among the reasons Sir Mario Owens should be executed by lethal injection, prosecutors told an Arapahoe County jury Monday. more..... |
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Jury in witness-murder case finds factors that may warrant execution
May 20, 2008
By Howard Pankratz
The Denver Post
CENTENNIAL, Colo. -- The murders of a prosecution witness and his fiancee included a series of aggravating factors that could result in a death sentence for convicted murderer Sir Mario Owens, an Arapahoe County jury decided Tuesday more..... |
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Man could get death for killing witnes
May 16, 2008
Associated Press
AuroraL, Colo. -- KUSA - Th A Colorado man could face execution for killing a witness in another killing, Denver authorities say. A jury convicted Sir Mario Owens Wednesday, The Denver Post reported. The penalty phase of the trial begins Monday.. more..... |
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Could you sentence a killer to death?
May 15, 2008
By Jeffrey Wolf
9NEWS.com, CO
CENTENNIAL, Colo. -- KUSA - The prosecutor who helped convict the only person sentenced to death in this state in the last 41 years says Arapahoe County jury faces one of the most difficult question jurors will ever have to face in their lives. more..... |
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Man convicted of murder in deaths CSU student
May 14, 2008
By Steve Saunders
Associated Press
CENTENNIAL, Colo. -- An Arapahoe County jury convicted Sir Mario Owens Wednesday of first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of two people, including a man who was scheduled to testify against him.. more..... |
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Jury gets witness-slaying case
May 9, 2008
By Carlos Illescas
Denver Post
CENTENNIAL, Colo. -- Sir Mario Owens was a cold-blooded killer who ambushed a witness scheduled to testify against Owens' best friend, prosecutors said today during closing arguments.. more..... |
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The next step for witnesses
May 16, 2008
By The Denver Post
DENVER
, Colo. -- he jury that sat in judgment of Sir Mario Owens sent an unmistakable message: Witness killings will not be tolerated. Since the 2005 murders of Javad Marshall-Fields and his fiancee Vivian Wolfe in Aurora, Colorado has taken steps toward ensuring that there is an effective program to protect witnesses. more..... |
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Death penalty case nearing its end
May 6, 2008
written by: Chris Vanderveen , Reporter
9 News
ARAPAHOE COUNY, Colo. --
For the last four weeks, jurors in the death-penalty trial of Sir Mario Owens have patiently listened to hours of oftentimes emotional testimony. more..... |
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Defense Rests In Sir Mario Owens Death Penalty Trial
May 6, 2008
By Steve Saunders
ABC 7 News
CENTENNIAL, Colo. -- After just two days of testimony, defense attorneys have rested their case in the Arapahoe County trial of a man accused of killing two people, including a witness who was scheduled to testify against him. more..... |
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Prosecution rests in death-penalty murder trial
May 2, 2008
By Charlie Brennan
Associated Press
News 13
CENTENNIAL, Colo. (AP) - Arapahoe County prosecutors have rested up their case against a man accused of killing two people, including a witness who was scheduled to testify against him. more..... |
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Prosecution In Owens' Trial Wraps Up With Victim's Mother
May 2, 2008
By Steve Saunders
Channel 7 News
AURORA, Colo. -- Prosecutors in the death penalty trial of Sir Mario Owens rested their case Thursday afternoon, ending their case with emotional testimony from the mother of one of the victims. more..... |
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Jurors cry hearing testimony
Jurors See Graphic Images In Death Penalty Trial
April 28, 2008
Denver 7 News
DENVER -- Monday was a tough day for jurors in the murder trial of Sir Mario Owens.Many were shaken and a few cried as prosecutors showed a murder scene video and autopsy pictures of victims Javad Marshall-Fields and Vivian Wolfe more..... |
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Murder Victims' Mothers Take the Stand
Friday, 25 Apr 2008
By Charlie Brennan
FOX 31 reporter
AURORA - The mothers of both victims in the Sir Mario Owens double-murder trial offered emotional testimony Friday in the marathon death penalty case now underway in Arapahoe County District Court.. more..... |
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Victims' Mothers Leave Courtroom In Tears
Sir Mario Owens Trial Enters Third Week
Owens' defense: Murder charge just speculation
April 21, 2008
Denver 7 News
DENVER -- The mothers of two homicide victims left an Arapahoe County courtroom in tears Monday as a witness described finding the couple's bodies slumped over in their car.. more..... |
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Yankee hat might be key to trial
Owens' defense: Murder charge just speculation
Wednesday, 9 Apr 2008
By Julie Poppen
Rocky Mountain News
Sir Mario Owens lived by his own criminal code, prosecutors said as his murder trial opened Tuesday: "You snitch, you die.". more..... |
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Prosecutor: Suspect's Motto Was 'You Snitch, You Die
Testimony Begins In Sir Mario Owens Trial
Tuesday, 8 Apr 2008
Denver 7 News
CENTENNIAL, Colo. -- Prosecutors say 23-year-old Sir Mario Owens, the accused triggerman in the slaying of a witness and his girlfriend, lived by the motto "You snitch, you die." more..... |
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Proscutioin: 'You snitch, you die.'
Tuesday, 8 Apr 2008
By Julie Poppen
Rocky Mountain News
Owens is charged in the killings of Javad Marshall-Fields and his fiancée, Vivian Wolfe, both 22, in the summer of 2005. The young couple was gunned down in their car at an Aurora intersection. more.....
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Prosecution says victim targeted for 'snitching
Tuesday, 8 Apr 2008
By Howard Pankratz
Denver Post
CENTENNIAL — The day before prosecution witness Javad Marshall-Fields and his fiancée, Vivian Wolfe, were killed, an emissary from his killers told him not to testify at an upcoming trial or he would die, prosecutors alleged today during opening statements in the death penalty trial of Sir Mario Owens. more.....
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Dying to Testify
Shawn Cerniglia & Carrie Heiden
September
30, 2007
By The Denver Post
In Douglas
County, 16-year-old Shawn Cerniglia and
his girlfriend, Carrie Heiden, were bound
and gagged, stuffed into a car, taken to
a field and shot execution-style in 2003.
Shawn had watched Caleb Burns and Nathaniel
York avenge a drug and money theft - Burns
blew out the windows of a house with a shotgun
- and they thought he was talking to police. more..... |
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The next success
Scholarship honoring slain couple buys opportunity
for other students
July 9,
2007
By Boyd Fletcher
The Aurora Sentinel
Two years after
the shooting death of Javad Marshall-Fields
and his fiancée Vivian Wolfe, their
families are working to continue the legacy
of their children by giving others a chance
at higher education.
Marshall-Fields expected to be a witness
in the murder trial of his friend, Gregory
Vann, when he and Wolfe were gunned down
in their car at an intersection.. more..... |
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ENTIRE Online Article HERE |
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Aurora's top cop
Aurora detective honored by police chiefs
for pursuit, dedication in homicide case
June 29,
2007
By Brandon Johansson
The Aurora Sentinel
Ever since
the moment a young man was shot and killed
at Lowry Park on July 4, 2004, there has
been little about the case that has been
ordinary.
There is the extraordinary potential and
courage of the victims, Gregory Vann, Javad
Marshall-Fields and Vivian Wolfe; and what
police say is the extraordinary brutality
of the suspects, Robert Ray, Sir Mario Owens
and Parrish Carter. more..... |
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ENTIRE Online Article HERE |
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Mother
marks two years since son's murder, thanks
office
June 21,
2007
posted by: Jeffrey Wolf , Web Producer
written by: Cheryl Preheim , Anchor/Reporter
9 News.com
(AURORA - The
mother of a murder victim says her son was
an ordinary hero. On the two year anniversary
of his death, Rhonda Fields honored other
heroes.
"Today is all about celebrating Javad
and Vivian's memories not only about the
loss of their lives. What we want to do
is to recognize people making a difference
in our community; ordinary heroes,"
she said.
Javad Marshall-Fields and his fiancée,
Vivian Wolfe, were gunned down on June 20,
2005 in Aurora. Marshall-Fields was a prosecution
witness for the murder of his friend, Gregory
Vann. Marshall Fields and Wolfe were killed
just a few days before the trial. .... more..... |
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ENTIRE Online Article: http://www.9news.com/news |
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Prosecutors
Can Seek Death For Murder Suspect
April
1, 2007
CBS 4 News.com
written by: Jeffrey Wolf , Web Producer
(AP) LITTLETON, Colo. Prosecutors will be
allowed to seek the death penalty against
a suspect in the shooting deaths of a witness
and his fiancee after a judge ruled the
man received sufficient notice.
Robert Keith Ray is serving a 108-year prison
term after he was convicted as an accessory
to the 2004 slaying of Gregory Vann. Prosecutors
say they will seek the death penalty at
Ray's trial on a first-degree murder charge
in the June 2005 shooting deaths of Javad
Marshall-Fields and Vivian Wolfe. |
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ENTIRE Online Article: http://cbs4denver.com |
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Ray
to face death penalty
Mar 30,
2007
Rocky Mountain News
By Felix Doligosa Jr.
AURORA – The death penalty case of
one of the men accused of killing Javad
Marshall-Fields and his fiancée will
go forward after a judge denied a motion
from the defense on Friday.
The judge found that the Arapahoe County
District Attorney's Office put Robert Ray
on sufficient notice that prosecutors were
seeking the death penalty. |
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ENTIRE Online Article: http://www.rockymountainnews.com |
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Death
penalty case goes forward
Mar 30,
2007
9 News.com
written by: Jeffrey Wolf , Web Producer
AURORA – The death penalty case of
one of the men accused of killing Javad
Marshall-Fields and his fiancée will
go forward after a judge denied a motion
from the defense on Friday.
The judge found that the Arapahoe County
District Attorney's Office put Robert Ray
on sufficient notice that prosecutors were
seeking the death penalty. |
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ENTIRE Online Article: http://www.9news.com |
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Slaying
suspect is competent for trial
By Rocky
Mountain News
March 24, 2007, 2:08 p.m. ET
Parish Carter,
one of three men indicted in the killing of
a murder witness, was deemed competent to
stand trial Friday in a case in which his
two alleged accomplices could face the death
penalty.
Carter, 25, was evaluated by the state mental
hospital in Pueblo at the request of his attorneys
last November before he entered a plea in
Arapahoe County District Court. |
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ENTIRE Online Article: http://www.rockymountainnews.com |
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Flirtatious'
jailer faces charges for messages sent to
inmate
March 15,
2007, 2:08 p.m. ET
LITTLETON, Colo. (AP) — A female jailer
faces misconduct charges for allegedly sending
"flirtatious" messages to an inmate
convicted in one slaying and awaiting trial
in another.
Nicole Sue Beal, 23, is accused of sending
letters and making phone calls to Robert Keith
Ray, who is serving a 108-year prison term
as an accessory to the 2004 murder of Gregory
Vann, 20. |
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ENTIRE Online Article: http://www.courttv.com/news |
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Arapahoe
Jailer Charged With Contacting Inmate
March 14,
2007, 2:08 p.m. ET
(AP) LITTLETON, Colo. An Arapahoe County jailer
has been suspended without pay and charged
with criminal misconduct after authorities
say she had inappropriate contact with a prison
inmate accused of shooting witnesses to a
murder.
Jailer Nicole Sue Beal, 23, faces charges
of introducing contraband in the first degree
and first-degree official misconduct, officials
said Tuesday. She was suspended from the Arapahoe
County Sheriff's Office without pay and is
free on $200,000 bond, according to the sheriff's
office. |
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ENTIRE Online Article: http://cbs4denver.com |
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Chambers
Seeks Death Penalty In Aurora Murders
Feb 21,
2007 11:01 am US/Mountain
(AP) AURORA, Colo. Prosecutors said Wednesday
they will seek the death penalty against two
men accused of killing a witness in a murder
case and his fiancee.
Sir Mario Owens and Robert Ray face first-degree
murder charges in the June 2005 shooting deaths
of Javad Marshall-Fields and Vivian Wolfe,
both 22. |
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ENTIRE Online Article: http://http://cbs4denver.com |
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Prosecutors
Seek Death Penalty In Witness' Murder
Javad Marshall-Fields,
Fiancee Killed Week Before Testifying
In TrialRocky Mountain News
February 21, 2007
By Ivan Moreno
ARAPAHOE COUNTY -- Arapahoe County District
Attorney Carol Chambers told 7NEWS that she
will seek the death penalty in the shooting
deaths of Javad Marshall Fields and his fiancee
Vivian | |
