True crime cases in Colorado span decades of criminal history, from unsolved disappearances in rural communities to high-profile investigations in the state's largest cities. Colorado law enforcement agencies, from local police departments to the state bureau of investigation, have tackled cases ranging from cold-case homicides and serial offenders to fraud schemes and domestic violence tragedies. CaseSleuth tracks each Colorado case with comprehensive timelines, profiles of victims and persons of interest, evidence summaries, and links to media coverage and court documents. Browse the cases below to explore the full scope of criminal investigations in Colorado.
4 cases found
On August 13, 2018, Christopher Lee Watts murdered his pregnant wife, Shanann Watts, and their two young daughters, Bella (age 4) and Celeste (age 3), at the family's home in Frederick, Colorado, before disposing of their bodies at a remote oil work site operated by his employer, Anadarko Petroleum. After initially denying involvement and making a televised plea for his family's return, Watts confessed to the killings on August 15, 2018, and was arrested. On November 6, 2018, he pleaded guilty to nine counts including five counts of first-degree murder under a plea agreement that spared him the death penalty, and on November 19, 2018, he was sentenced to three consecutive life terms plus 84 years without the possibility of parole.
In August 2006, John Mark Karr falsely confessed to the 1996 murder of JonBenet Ramsey while living in Bangkok. DNA evidence excluded him and all charges were dropped.
On April 20, 1999, seniors Eric Harris (18) and Dylan Klebold (17) carried out a mass shooting at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado, killing 12 students and teacher Dave Sanders and wounding 23 others before dying by suicide. The attack, planned for roughly a year and originally conceived as a bombing, became a watershed moment in American history that transformed school safety protocols, law enforcement response to active shooters, and the national gun control debate.
The unsolved 1996 murder of six-year-old JonBenet Ramsey in Boulder, Colorado, one of the most scrutinized criminal investigations in American history, marked by a contaminated crime scene, a mysterious ransom note, a grand jury indictment the district attorney refused to sign, a controversial 2008 exoneration of the family, and ongoing DNA testing efforts nearly three decades later.