In this week's True Crime Daily Podcast: An update to the Colorado cold case murder of missing pregnant woman Kelsie Schelling (1:50). 2023 Telepictures Productions Inc. Her boss called her not that long ago and offered her her job back.. Though Schellings family got the verdict they wanted, they were still unable to bring her home for a proper burial. Sinnema said he spoke to Lucas that evening and Lucas told him Schelling had come to see him in the early morning hours of Feb. 5. Introduction: Managing the World; 1. It was discovered during the trial Wednesday morning that an upcoming witness in the trial was found shot to death last week in Denver. 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. Her mother, Laura Saxton, also knew about their tumultuous alliance. 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. Born February 18, 1991, the 21-year-old from Denver, Colorado, was eight weeks pregnant when she decided to visit her boyfriend, Donthe Lucas, at the Home of Heroes in Pueblo. At the end of the day, I said, I think we have enough here to go forward. In February 2013, Kelsie Schelling was very happy to find out she was eight weeks pregnant, according to ABC News. No blood was detected in #Schelling's car. Torres said in the surveillance video showing the cash withdrawal, Schelling cannot be seen in the vehicle. Just wait and see for yourself, you probably wouldnt believe me if I told you anyway, so you can see for yourself.. He asks her to skip work and come to Pueblo to get him and they continue to argue. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). Obviously it's an important piece of evidence that he moved the car because it shows he's covering up the crime. There was no sign of her in the apartment, and that's when we called the Denver police.. I'm really grateful to know that we know the answer, Saxton said. Police could not definitively say he was Lucas. If Feb. 4, 2013, was the last time Schelling was seen. Binet asked Lucas if he had any idea where Schelling might be, to which Lucas replied: Honestly, Im not too sure. Lucas was sentenced to life in prison without parole. The theory would explain the lack of a murder weapon. On Feb. 5, Lucas said the two of them were together, but video from the Walmart cameras show only one person, who police believe was Lucas, getting out of the car. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Lucas was sentenced to. They began to suspect the text messages werent coming from Schelling at all. The clip that I played at the beginning of my closing was his phrase to detectives. The argument between Schelling and Lucas, according to the exchanged texts as recounted by Torres, continued into the early morning hours of Feb. 4. Goodnight., Torres said Lucas replied, Oh I know all of that … thanks for stating it for me.. Prosecutors told jurors that Lucas was trying to get Schelling to Pueblo and sent her a text message saying he had a surprise for her. MORE:Lucas trial day 3: Kelsie Schelling's friends continue testimony, cellphone records discussed. She was like, Stop calling me. Donthe took that away from me.. It reaches the surface, he said. Love you, too.. In 2011, when Kelsie Schelling enrolled in Northeastern Junior College, she met and began dating Donthe Isiah Lucas. 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. Schelling's body has never been found. Sinnema said Lucas also did not mention dropping Schellings vehicle off at St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center on Feb. 7. Disturbing Details About Kelsie Schelling's Partner And Murderer, Donthe Lucas. Over the course of the following weeks, she became close with Lucas and had the opportunity to speak with him about Schellings disappearance. No blood was found on two knives collected. Strangely enough, around the same time, the family of another missing woman 1,200 miles away in Portsmouth, Ohio, had been receiving similar messages. 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. Kelsie Schelling went missing in Pueblo, Colorado back in February 2013 after she went to tell her boyfriend Donthe Lucas that she was pregnant Schelling's body has never been found but she. That's direct evidence.. As difficult as it was, its not impossible. 17 Jan 2023 Amber: The Girl Behind the Alert (2023 film) . The defense also had Walker confirm that she could not tell the jury whether the trends she discussed were present in Lucas and Schellings relationship and could not say if any specific acts of domestic violence took place between them. I have found that if you do it the right way, justice finds its own way. But tragically, Kelsie Schelling went missing soon after she revealed her pregnancy to her partner, Donthe Lucas. Court rules state that no outside communication can happen inside the courtroom, but we will update this article with new details when they're available. I never was.. He said that Schelling had called him early that morning from a private number and said he told Schelling she needed to get in touch with her family members because they were worried about her. 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. Great now., Sara Lucas asked Donthe, Shes not pregnant?, He responded: Nothing. 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. It made me sick. Former FBI agent and ABC News contributor Brad Garrett said Marcus story aligns with how many other scams work. Donthe Lucas. She said that domestic violence does not always escalate from mental and emotional abuse into physical abuse, but said changes in power dynamics such as a new pregnancy could lead to an escalation of abuse. On Feb. 25, 2021, 31-year-old Roxann Martinez was preparing to testify for the prosecution when she was shot and killed. He believes her murder does have to do with the #DontheLucas trial, even though Denver police have said they believe there's no connection. She said Tuesday in 2016 she was trying to gather information from Lucas about Schelling. One of the crucial pieces of evidence was Lucas text messages, which the prosecution argued showed his intent and plan to lure her to Pueblo. Lucas had pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges. She called from a private number. A murder conviction without a body is an instance of a person being convicted of murder despite the absence of the victim's body. She met Donna Whitson, single Continued. 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. Schellings car was discovered more than a week after her disappearance without a trace of the young expectant mom. Colette Bordelon reports that the District Attorney has confirmed to her that Martinez was going to testify for the prosecution this week that Lucas confessed to her that he killed Schelling. By taking this avowal seriously, Adrian Johnston nally claries the philosophical project underlying iek's eorts. This verdict came after the prosecutors shined a light on Donthes relationship with Kelsie and argued that he lured her to Pueblo to kill her after learning about the pregnancy. Authorities reviewed that admission, along with text message records, surveillance video and 60,000 pages of investigative material to determine whether there was enough evidence to prosecute Lucas. [He said] that [she] was his best friend and he had nothing to do with it, and then he would just shut down and start crying hysterically and get upset, Suhr said. Doctor's records confirmed that she was eight weeks pregnant, with the presumed father being. She did say that he called once from jail, but they ultimately never spoke again. She gave an emotional and powerful testimony emphasizing to the jury her daughter Kelsie really wanted to have her child. I know that my testimony could potentially help take him down, and that was realistically why I wanted to testify, she said. I still have nowhere to go to take her flowers, to go sit and talk with her, take her balloons on her birthday, go to her on the holidays. Therefore, after many delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he stood trial for the same in early 2021. Those charges were later dropped when investigators found out that she would sometimes give him permission to use her bank card, and he was released. Daily Briefing Law enforcement finally turned Schellings missing persons case into a criminal case. I felt like I got to see a side of him that maybe most people didnt, she said. A man in Pueblo reported that Lucas and his family members had attacked him in front of the Lucas family home and stolen $1,000 from him. Petrvvajc zhada epizoda 4. sezna 4. Now, follow one mother's crusade for justice in this true crime investigation. If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 18007997233. Schelling was eight weeks pregnant when her friends and family last heard from her on February 4, 2013, when she visited the likely father of her unborn child. More women ice fishing? 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 . In a motion filed by Lucas, he claims the victim's father had a history of violence toward Kelsie and killed . Cadry -- that was the name she was going to give the child, Colby Schelling said. I felt like I was [in] pretty deep. 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. Circumstantial evidence is every bit as good as any other kind of evidence, said Jeff Chostner, the district attorney for Pueblo County, We were able to put this case together through circumstantial evidence. Read More: Where is Kelsie Schellings Mother Now? Michelle Chostner, the lead prosecutor in Schellings case, confirmed that investigators interviewed Martinez but could not comment on anything that wasnt admitted in trial. Lucas was found guilty of first-degree murder in connection to the death or disappearance of Schelling. Prosecutors also argued Lucas constantly used Schelling for money, her apartment in Denver and her car, claims the defense didnt deny. What if she is still out there somewhere? Saxton said. After that, she moved to Washington in spring 2017 and never spoke to Lucas again. 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. 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. 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. I didn't want to get in any deeper than I had already gotten into.. Suhr said during her testimony that Lucas characterized Schelling as a "best friend" because she basically paid for everything. Kelsey Ann Smith (May 3, 1989 - June 2, 2007) was an Overland Park, Kansas teenager who disappeared on June 2, 2007 and was murdered that evening. 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. RELATED:Opening statements in murder trial begin in case of Kelsie Schelling's disappearanceDonthe Lucas murder trial will begin WednesdayLong-awaited murder trial to begin in the case of Kelsie Schelling's disappearancePrevious coverage: The Kelsie Schelling Case_____, KOAA News5 on your time, streaming on your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and AndroidTV.News5 App | First Alert 5 Weather App | Youtube | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter. 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. Love you Donthe.. Schelling's body has never been found, but she is presumed dead. 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," the man told "20/20.". For a full recap of Day 10 in the trial, click here. 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. Lucas said Schelling told him before she came to Pueblo that she was pregnant and had gone to a doctor for an ultrasound. Dan is a reporter with the 13 Investigates team. The community organized search efforts to try and find Schelling with her family filing a lawsuit in 2015 against the Pueblo Police Department and the Lucas family. Her body has never been found. Editor's note: A previous version of this story said Rivera testified that Lucas specifically admitted to killing Kelsie Schelling. The prosecution argued that Lucas didnt want his pregnant girlfriend to have their unborn baby, so he plotted and killed her before it could happen. Schelling, 21, was eight weeks pregnant at the time of her disappearance, according to news reports. According to her, Schelling had gotten confirmation of her pregnancy on the day she disappeared. He was sentenced immediately after the verdict by the judge to life in prison without parole. March 3 Fugitive Finder: Pueblos most wanted, Increase in Shigella cases, drug-resistant infections, Remembrance ceremony for Divide woman missing since, Disneyland fan sets record for most consecutive, Biden had cancerous lesion removed, no further treatment, Brothers convicted of killing groom hours after wedding, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. In addition to this, Schelling's phone records indicated a call was made from her cell to a woman who Schelling reportedly didn't know, and whom Lucas was romantically involved with even though Lucas could not explain the call. Family photo. For years, Donthe maintained that he had nothing to do with Kelsies disappearance and had no idea where she could be. Saxton said she asked him to track the number and that he said he would, but, of course, he never did, Saxton said. Later, when Schelling's car was recovered, Lucas' DNA and a strand of his mother's hair were discovered inside. In December 2019, the judge postponed the trial until May 2020, as a new lawyer joined the defense team. 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. You ready for a smoke and a pancake?, Hell yeah. Waiting for your permission to load facebook comments. Saxton got choked up when identifying her daughter's birth certificate, passport, and an expired passport from when #Schelling was "just a little girl." 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. Sinnema said Lucas told him that he and Schelling went to Parkview Medical Center later that day and that Schelling emerged from the hospital a short time later saying she was no longer pregnant. Though it might have taken four years for Donthe Lucas to be arrested and charged for the murder of Kelsie Schelling in December 2017, there were a number of observations made by those who knew the couple that raised a few flags. There were some clothes, Kelsies car, and the defendants backyard, but the key pieces of evidence were cell phone data. Its hard to explain, Torres said, Its definitely a person, emotional bond. Investigators have said he took $400 out of her account on that day. The court then heard from Denver Police Department officer Chad Sinnema, who gathered the initial information for the missing persons report filed by Schellings family Feb. 9. Season 1. Its really hard to find words to use for it, because its so awful. Then in October 2015, Saxton had a new possible lead. wordlist = ['!', '$.027', '$.03', '$.054/mbf', '$.07', '$.07/cwt', '$.076', '$.09', '$.10-a-minute', '$.105', '$.12', '$.30', '$.30/mbf', '$.50', '$.65', '$.75', '$.