We didn't have any of that.. It's still an open case. Schelling replied that she did want Lucas to accompany her to the doctor until I realized thats the last place you wanted to be.. The young woman had driven down to Pueblo on February 4, 2013, to meet with her boyfriend, Donthe Lucas, after sharing the news of her pregnancy, never to be seen or heard from again. Severe Weather I grabbed my mother very tight and held her very close, Kelsies brother, Colby Schelling, said. On Monday, he was sentenced to life in prison. Her mother said she wonders what would have become of her life. Late in the afternoon on March 8, a Pueblo County jury issued a guilty verdict in the trial of Donthe Lucas, who'd been charged with killing his pregnant girlfriend, Denver's Kelsie . Parents sue suspect in daughter's death, allege Pueblo police coverup During the trial, investigators had revealed troubling information about Schellings possible whereabouts. The defense argued it was a missing persons case. Schelling didnt show up to work on Feb. 5, and her worried co-worker Savannah Heggie tried calling her. He has this way about him that makes you feel so sorry for him. Saxtons hope was for answers. The first search warrant was executed at the suspects home on Feb. 14a period of 11 days, or 264 hours. Its been over eight years since Laura Saxtons 21-year-old pregnant daughter Kelsie Schelling vanished. It was discovered during the trial Wednesday morning that an upcoming witness in the trial was found shot to death last week in Denver. Privacy Policy | Next on the witness stand was Kathleen Tate, a medical doctor who handled Schellings original OBGYN visit on Feb. 4. Binet said, Not that I remember.. It is still an open case. Apparently she had a miscarriage yesterday.. Hours later she vanished. She questioned her daughters boyfriend Donthe Lucas on the phone herself, organized community searches as the case went cold and followed up on leads through the Help Find Kelsie Facebook page -- including one that claimed the young expectant mother was still alive. I'm never going to recover without getting her back, Saxton said. D. Reaction to proposed dangerous dog ordinance, Assault weapons ban introduced in Colorado legislature, Commercial fire on South Academy Boulevard, Pueblo man sentenced to 11 years for armed robbery, Challenge course open at Lake Minnequa Park, Best athletic wear for kids joining baseball and, How to watch all the Oscar-nominated movies in style, Best smart home devices for older users, according, Infants death linked to contaminated breast pump,, CAT scan: Pet goes through X-ray machine at Virginia, Man suffers life-threatening injuries in Pueblo shooting, Deputy identified in deputy-involved shooting, CMZoo needs your help winning national award, Hidden Gem: Ice wall near Colorado Springs. It was just so emotional for everybody, for both sides, Saxton said. Months turned to years without answers. In this week's True Crime Daily Podcast: An update to the Colorado cold case murder of missing pregnant woman Kelsie Schelling (1:50). Weeks passed until police learned they needed to move quickly to catch Lucas. Eric Bravo took over the case with the help of Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) agent Kevin Torres. I have no idea about no Megan or no kidnapping or anything like that, the man told 20/20. I had no clue anybody was supposed to be exchanging nothing for a human being If I did know, I would not have been involved in this situation.. It was the most emotional moment in the courtroom today by far, watching a mother look at these remnants of her daughter. If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Colette Bordelon also spoke to Martinez's cousin, who said he believes her murder does have to do with the trial. He said Lucas confessed to the killing. According to the State Department of Corrections records, because Donthe is to spend the rest of his natural life behind bars, his estimated sentence discharge date is December 31, 9998. He believes her murder does have to do with the #DontheLucas trial, even though Denver police have said they believe there's no connection. You dont have to have a happy little family with me. Since the trial is over, and Kelsie still hasn't been found I've just felt very, very lost and very empty, Saxton said in the week following the trial. Follow her on Twitter for the quickest updates. In December 2019, the judge postponed the trial until May 2020, as a new lawyer joined the defense team. It reaches the surface, he said. The defense in Lucas' trial rested on Monday without calling any witnesses. The defense points out that Suhr was lying to Lucas the whole time, and tried to have her admit she was having sex with him in exchange for information. Rivera said that Lucas once told him while they were about to play a game of cards that investigators would never find Schelling's body. Synopsis:Kelsie Schelling disappears one night after leaving work, leading family and investigators on a four-year hunt to find the pregnant 21-year-old; cell phone records reveal what happened to . In this week's True Crime Daily Podcast: An update to the Colorado cold case murder of missing pregnant woman Kelsie Schelling (1:50). It was years before he went to trial for Schellings murder. She filed a lawsuit against the Pueblo Police Department in the years after 2013 as the frustration grew from a lack of answers. In December 2017, almost four years after Schelling's disappearance, Lucas was charged with her murder. Donthe Lucas found guilty in death of pregnant woman Kelsie Schelling Thus, today, at the age of 28, Donthe Isiah Lucas, or inmate 190792, is incarcerated in the Centennial Correctional Facility in Canon City. Schelling's body hasn't been found.Opening statements were set to begin just after 8 a.m. Wednesday, and KRDO's Dan Beedie is in the courtroom gathering information as the trial takes place. Her mother, Laura Saxton, also knew about their tumultuous alliance. Suhr said Lucas had lied to police when he claimed he was with Schelling in her car after the evening of Feb. 4, 2013 -- he had moved her car himself, Suhr said. DENVER - A Pueblo County jury found Donthe Lucas guilty Monday of first-degree murder in the 2013 death of his girlfriend, Kelsie Schelling, after just a few hours of deliberations. Plus, a baggage claim sticker leads to an arrest after human remains were found in two suitcases on the side of a Denver road in December (30:07). I mean, who wants that for their child to be the final resting place? From the. Geo resource failed to load. I felt like I was [in] pretty deep. Eight years after his girlfriend went missing, a Colorado man has been convicted of first-degree murder in her death. Petrvvajc zhada epizoda 4. sezna 4. TvProfil One minute, he had no involvement. Read More: Where is Kelsie Schellings Mother Now? The trial, which began in February, was delayed multiple times, most recently due to someone in the courtroom testing positive for COVID-19. No blood was found on two knives collected. Sa fortune s lve 2 000,00 euros mensuels She said she first reached out to him on Facebook and they exchanged numbers. Schelling, 21, went missing in 2013 after driving from Denver to Pueblo to see Lucas. Oh my god, Torres said Sara Lucas replied. District Attorney says murdered witness was going to provide bombshell His trial finally began in February 2021, and he was ultimately convicted of the crime, receiving a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Kelsie Schelling was only 21 years old when she vanished. Since meeting in 2010 as students at a junior college in Colorado, Kelsie Schelling and Donthe Lucas purportedly had a fraught relationship, one which allegedly turned abusive on the part of Lucas, according to Schelling's friends and relatives (via Fox 21 News). Ultimately, after hearing the prosecutors say that the most intimate and personal way to extinguish a life is wrapping two hands around a persons neck gripping their trachea, restricting their air, restricting their oxygen, the jury agreed with their arguments. Schelling's family has set up a website called HelpFindKelsie.com and are reportedly offering a $10,000 reward for any information that leads to an arrest. Silly, she was so silly., I miss being silly with her, Saxton added. But more importantly, I wanted the jury to hear the defendant, in his own words, say, I lied.. In closing arguments, lead prosecutor Michelle Chostner ensured the jury had a clear understanding of the time Kelsies killer had to get rid of evidence or to clean things up. Her family also received a message from someone who claimed to know where Lancaster was. Police could not definitively say he was Lucas. In the recording, Lucas tells Binet the last time he heard from Schelling was the previous day, Feb. 9. They never found anything on those searches. I dont feel right. Former jail inmate says Donthe Lucas claimed Kelsie Schelling - KRDO Suhr said she always knew what she was doing, trying to gather information about Schelling, and never fell in love with Lucas. Before 6 p.m., Torres said Schelling texted Lucas, Then step up and make a relationship with me work. However, Lucas' defense team called the trial "the biggest reach in Pueblo's history," saying that prosecutors didn't have a weapon, cause of death, location of the murder, or location of the body. I felt like I got to see a side of him that maybe most people didnt, she said. However McCarthy said, there was no deals made about charges he would get to plead to, time he would get to serve. Schelling, 21, was eight weeks pregnant at the time of her disappearance, according to news reports. The Version table provides details related to the release that this issue/RFE will be addressed. There were some clothes, Kelsies car, and the defendants backyard, but the key pieces of evidence were cell phone data. The Economic Update with Tatiana Bailey Ph. Saxton called Lucas, asking if he knew anything about her daughters disappearance. Saxton still doesn't have all the answers she's searched tirelessly for. Even though Kelsies remains have never been found, shes long since accepted her daughters death. 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Suhr testified that Lucas had admitted to her that he was the mysterious figure seen picking up Schellings car after it sat overnight in a Walmart parking lot and that he had also dropped the car off at the hospital. Schelling's body has never been found. The white stain in #Schelling's car was negative for saliva. 3 p.m.: Laura Saxton, Kelsie Schelling's mother, recalled the last time she saw her daughter, which was eight years ago as of Tuesday. After Torres, the prosecution called to the stand Jennifer Walker, the executive director of the Crisis Center a nonprofit organization in Douglas County that address domestic violence. Laura Saxton Her last confirmed text message was sent to Lucas at 11:18 p.m. Its hard to explain, Torres said, Its definitely a person, emotional bond. Lucas and Schelling seem to allude to a trip Lucas was planning on taking that day, seemingly to Kansas, on which he asked Schelling to accompany him. Then you can take her back home., Sara Lucas allegedly responded: What happened? and, Are you OK? to which Lucas responded, Yeah. Sara Lucas says she only met her son's girlfriend. Lucas appears to have asked Schelling to come down to Pueblo after she got off work the evening of Feb. 3, and expresses disappointment she will not drive down. Suspecting foul play, police accelerated the investigation. JDK-8141210 : Very slow loading of JavaScript file with recent JDK If its really what happened Im so sorry you had to go through that alone, Lucas said in a text to Schelling. After a few weeks, they met in person. But it soon became clear that Schelling had disappeared without a trace and no one knew where she was. Now, follow one mother's crusade for justice in this true crime investigation. She said based on her evaluation, Schelling was, in fact, pregnant at the time of her disappearance. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Roxann Martinez was shot and killed at the intersection of E. Kenyon Dr. and S. Wabash St. at 11 p.m. on Feb 25. PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- Years after Donthe Lucas' arrest following the disappearance of his pregnant girlfriend, Kelsie Schelling, jurors are hearing the case against him in court Wednesday.Lucas is accused of killing Schelling and has been charged with first-degree murder. Editor's note: A previous version of this story said Rivera testified that Lucas specifically admitted to killing Kelsie Schelling. Thankfully I had a great team. She wanted to be a mom.. Tatesaid her evaluation of Schelling showed no indication of prior pregnancies, miscarriages of abortions. In the texts, Lucas implies Schelling had asked him to come to her OBGYN appointment the following day the day of her disappearance saying he wanted to go with her and noting it seemed like Schelling wanted him to go. This article has been updated, and we apologize for the error. Cadry -- that was the name she was going to give the child, Colby Schelling said. In December 2017, investigators believed they finally had enough evidence to charge Lucas with the first-degree murder of Schelling, even though her remains have, as of this report, not been recovered. Its really hard to find words to use for it, because its so awful. wordlist = ['!', '$.027', '$.03', '$.054/mbf', '$.07', '$.07/cwt', '$.076', '$.09', '$.10-a-minute', '$.105', '$.12', '$.30', '$.30/mbf', '$.50', '$.65', '$.75', '$. Just had to make sure I was right. 2023 Telepictures Productions Inc. Chieftain reporter Zach Hillstrom can be reached at zhillstrom@chieftain.com or on Twitter @ZachHillstrom, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Where do I go?. Schellings car was discovered more than a week after her disappearance without a trace of the young expectant mom. You ready for a smoke and a pancake?, Hell yeah. An officer stated that they believed Donthe strangled Kelsie. By May 2018, a judge said prosecutors had proved probable cause. His book charts the interlinked ontology and theory of subjectivity constructed by iek at the intersection of German idealism and Lacanian theory. List of murder convictions without a body - wikizero.com On February 4, 2013, Schelling went to a local Walmart in the town of Pueblo, Colorado, where she planned to meet up with Lucas and tell him about her new pregnancy but according to interview footage taken in 2017, Lucas told investigators that the night had taken a different turn (via Fox 21 News). I just thought, What if shes been out there and I couldve found her and we havent?. Schelling's body has never been found, but she is presumed dead. Donthe Lucas (credit: Pueblo Police Dept. Moreover, only a day earlier in Denver, Schelling's doctor had told her that the baby was healthy. I've been here over an hour just waiting." Schelling didn't show up to work on Feb. 5, and a worried co-worker tried calling her. Chostner says there was more evidence to work with in 2017 versus 2013, and enough that gave him the confidence to press charges. The 21-year-old from Colorado had already announced to family and friends. The trial was then scheduled for July 2019, but Lucas' lawyers said they had new scientific evidence and needed more time to review it. She said she doesn't have her phone, and she said she'll be getting ahold of you.. No one had been charged two years after Schelling disappeared and, because authorities had not found a body, it was still classified as a missing persons case. Binet asked Lucas if he had any idea where Schelling might be, to which Lucas replied: Honestly, Im not too sure. Kelsie Schelling Self - Goes missing (archive footage) All cast & crew Production, box office & more at IMDbPro Storyline Edit A courageous mother, whose daughter mysteriously went missing, finds justice with the help of another mom she never met; Plot summary Add synopsis Genres Documentary Crime News Certificate Unrated Parents guide Kelsie Schelling (credit: CBS) When she disappeared in February 2013, Schelling was pregnant and was reportedly travelling from Denver to Pueblo to talk to Lucas about it. In February 2013, Kelsie Schelling was very happy to find out she was eight weeks pregnant, according to ABC News. Now that she is gone, Ive had to turn into a fighter, Saxton told 20/20.. Eric Bravo said. Introduction: Managing the World; 1. Opening statements were set to begin just after 8 a.m. Wednesday, and. From the. Some of Schellings close friends also testified that Lucas was abusive. She texts him at 11:18 p.m., saying she has arrived at the meeting spot. Kelsie Schelling was eight weeks pregnant when she vanished. When police questioned Lucas, he told them that the morning after they met, he took Schelling to the Parkview Medical Center and hinted she had a miscarriage there. Without a crime scene, murder weapon or body, how could the jury be convinced this was murder, and that Lucas was responsible? @KOAA, Kelsie Schelling's mother is called to the stand again. YouTube: Body parts found in suitcases, luggage tags lead to suspected killer; Kelsie Schelling update - TCDPOD, TRUE CRIME DAILY: THE PODCAST covers high-profile and under-the-radar cases SUBSCRIBE: APPLE PODCASTS / SPOTIFY / STITCHER / GOOGLE PODCASTS / YOUTUBE. Back in 2013, Kelsie Schelling felt like she had her whole life ahead of her. Please enter valid email address to continue. So, lets find out more about where he is today, shall we? Lucas pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in August 2018. Then, at 11:10 p.m., he told her to go to another location near his grandmothers house. I never was.. But Lucas claimed when they spoke later, Schelling ended up telling me shes not pregnant. We also spoke to Martinez's cousin exclusively. Walker was called as a blind expert, meaning she was not familiar with the details of the Lucas case but spoke to general trends in domestic violence cases. Deputy District Attorney Kyle McCarthy then skipped ahead to the communications exchanged the following day and asked Torres to read from texts that allegedly were exchanged between Donthe Lucas and his mother, Sara Lucas. However, 20/20 learned that in March 2013, a woman named Roxann Wilkins reached out to Schellings mother through the Facebook page, saying she used to date Lucas and he had confessed to her that he killed Schelling and where her body was. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. MORE:Lucas trial day 3: Kelsie Schelling's friends continue testimony, cellphone records discussed. Schelling tells Lucas, Im not going to come get you so we can fight all day., He responds: I dont want to fight at all I want to give you this.. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. I know that that is a long shot than anybody [sic] would even try to help us with that., Saxton said the thought of her daughters body being left there is just the worst possibility to me, because he discarded her like garbage. 21-year-old Kelsie Schelling was two months pregnant when she drove from Denver to Pueblo to see her former boyfriend Donthe Lucas. Kelsie Schelling, 21, vanished in February 2013 shortly after finding out that she was eight weeks pregnant. In the back of my mind, I always kept that he is potentially a murderer.. Daily Briefing Donthe Lucas Convicted In 2013 Killing Of Kelsie Schelling | Crime News There was no sign of her in the apartment, and that's when we called the Denver police.. There should be every effort made to go in there and pull her out of there if that's where she ended up being, Saxton said. Lucas was arrested on Feb. 15, 2013 for felony identity theft for using Schellings debit card. The texts exchanged indicate Lucas and Schelling were constantly arguing throughout the night of Feb. 3, both in text and in short phone conversations in which Schelling seemed to continually hang up on Lucas. On Feb. 25, 2021, 31-year-old Roxann Martinez was preparing to testify for the prosecution when she was shot and killed. Attorney Becky Briggs, part of Lucas defense team, grilled Tateabout Schellings medical history and asked Tateabout what was referred to by a medical assistant as a worrisome Pap smear at Schellings appointment. He said Schelling wanted a relationship but thats not what he wanted. Kelsie Schelling Murder Trail Guilty Verdict Update | Westword But I guess the relief I had knowing that it was a quick verdict, was that even if it didn't come out in our favor, this question has been decided for the community. There's no single person other than the defendant in 2017, who's saying that [Schelling] was into drugs and that she was a party girl, McCarthy said. Petrvvajc zhada epizoda 4. sezna 4. Love you Donthe.. Wish you would have told me you knew it was very likely to happen so I could be prepared. NR | 03.26.21 | 01:20:44 | CC more episodes 42:55 I was holding onto my dads hand. While in jail for this offense, Lucas told an inmate about his involvement with Kelsie Schelling, saying no one would ever find her body (via KRDO). The homicide trial of Donthe Lucas, accused of first-degree murder in the 2013 disappearance of his pregnant girlfriend, Kelsie Schelling, resumed Monday with the testimony of Colorado Bureau. While in custody, Lucas admitted to police that he picked up Schellings car and dropped it off at the hospital. Then, he proposed to her. But soon, Kelsie started confiding in her friends that her boyfriend was physically abusive and exhibited other toxic behavioral traits. And I can get her back, Kadie Lancaster told 20/20. What if he really does have her and I can bring her home?. I lied from the jump. She definitely had that phone with her, Lucas said. ABC 20/20: Mom fights to bring pregnant daughter Kelsie Schelling's The lead investigator on the case from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation believes Schelling was strangled by Lucas after he lured her down to Pueblo. In cross examination, Tameler asked Binet if, in his time with the missing and exploited persons unit, hed encountered people who intentionally disappeared to get away from their lives, and if such people tend to make sure they dont leave indicators to where they might be going. But Tate said they would never perform a biopsy on a pregnant woman and said even if Schelling did have HPV, its a common diagnosis about 15 percent of women have HPV at any given time. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website. Torres, continuing his testimony from Friday, began the fourth day of the trial by detailing alleged text exchanges between Lucas and Schelling on the night of Feb. 3 and the day of her disappearance Feb. 4, breaking them down minute-by-minute and hour-by-hour as the conversation unfolded. Suhr said she never fell in love with Lucas and never saw him again, only reaching out to him to tell him she was ending their relationship. She also informed us that Donthe admitted to her to being the one on the video dropping Kelsie's car off at [the] hospital.. Feb. 4, 2013, was the last time Schelling was seen. At 9:56 p.m., she texts again, saying, Almost there. During the holiday season in 2012, Schelling surprised her family with news that she was pregnant. Binet said there were several red flags in Schellings case that led him to believe she was more than just missing. I mean, I could barely function.. Donthe Lucas Now: Where is Kelsie Schelling's Killer Today? At 1:34 p.m., Lucas sends another text saying, sorry again about the loss, telling Schelling he will soon be going up to Denver to drop off her car. I do not.. She wanted that baby. Didnt expect to feel like this now.. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Pueblo Police Capt. Her friend was also in communication with Schelling's mom, Laura Saxton. According to her, Schelling had gotten confirmation of her pregnancy on the day she disappeared. I just get mad and I dont want to fight with you. Kelsie Schelling with her mom Laura Saxton. He admitted to those text messages, Pueblo Assistant District Attorney Kyle McCarthy said. PUEBLO, Colo. (KKTV . Nevertheless, after just three hours of deliberation, on March 8, 2021, a 12-member jury found him guilty of first-degree murder, and the judge sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Its getting harder to come back, I dread the trips but I know I have to do it, she said. He said theyd spoken early that morning when Schelling arrived in Pueblo and their interactions continued through the following morning. Hear from those closest to the victims, including family, friends, local journalists and law enforcement. Experts testify Tuesday on various evidence found in Schelling's car - KOAA I miss all the things that we didn't get to do together., 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Then, prosecutors played Lucas interrogation tape for the jury. In the following days, her parents and friends said Schellings texts continued to contain uncharacteristic punctuation and curt responses. Either make things work with me or walk away.. I mean, it's a sad story. She was happy. At 1:28 a.m., Schelling tells Lucas, I wont tell you anything about the baby. Some of her friends testified to the physical abuse, and cell phone data showed Kelsies phone was in the same area as her killers in the days after authorities believed she had been killed. Kelsie Schelling disappeared after driving down from Denver to Pueblo on February 4th, 2013. She did say that he called once from jail, but they ultimately never spoke again. Former FBI agent and ABC News contributor Brad Garrett said Marcus story aligns with how many other scams work. We wanna bring her home with us, her and Cadry both. He told her that he and Schelling would do drugs together, like cocaine. But tragically, Kelsie Schelling went missing soon after she revealed her pregnancy to her partner, Donthe Lucas. According to Lucas' account,the couple drank alcohol together and used marijuana and cocaine that night, the latter of which Lucas alleged was a surprise gift to Schelling. Lucas was sentenced to. Watch the full story on "20/20" FRIDAY at 9 p.m. Dateline: The Last Day: Season 1, Episode 3 - Rotten Tomatoes I will support you whether Donthe is in the picture or not in the picture. Later, when Schelling's car was recovered, Lucas' DNA and a strand of his mother's hair were discovered inside. For years, Donthe maintained that he had nothing to do with Kelsies disappearance and had no idea where she could be. They asked the family to deliver $50,000 in cash to the same McDonalds in Vancouver, where a man named Marcus wearing a red hat would be waiting. She drove to Pueblo that night to meet him, explaining that he had told her to come. I dont want to fight at all, I want to give you this, he wrote. Regardez le Salaire Mensuel de Michael Jackson Bad 25 Documentary en temps rel. So-called jailhouse snitches are often considered to be not credible as jurors often ask what that witness may have received in return for testifying. But their star witness, who would have allegedly testified that Donthe confessed the killing to her, couldnt make it to court as she was shot to death just days before. You dont have to marry me. The argument between Schelling and Lucas, according to the exchanged texts as recounted by Torres, continued into the early morning hours of Feb. 4. They planned to meet but at the last minute, Wilkins told Saxton she was in the hospital and could not come. [3] Overview [ edit] On Feb. 3 2013, text message records show Lucas had tried to convince Schelling to drive from Denver to his hometown of Pueblo, Colorado, to receive a surprise gift.