Bill Ritter’s commutations draw praise, bitter rebukes

Only days after I posted a few remarks about Bill Ritter’s play-it-safe approach to pardons and his reluctance to commute excessive sentences, the departing governor delivered a slew of bolder pardons and even a few commutations, stunning some grateful convicts and raising hackles elsewhere. Ritter won’t have to worry about…

Homicides in Denver hit 39 in 2010: See where they happened

The Denver coroner’s office has released its list of Denver homicides in 2010. The roster of 39 is actually down by six from 2009’s 45 homicides, but it remains a grisly toll. Look below to see graphics from near the sites (if you have problems seeing the images, click “View…

Happy New Year: Two men resolve to shoplift more

Most people start the New Year off by making resolutions. Some people vow to exercise more or smoke less. Others opt to look for news jobs, new loves or even new clothes. The two men pictured below, however, had something else in mind. They chose to shoplift more. And they…

Police seek suspect in Englewood slaying (44)

Update: Police arrested their suspect, Michael Anthony Renner, this afternoon at a storage locker. Englewood police conducting a welfare check on a 49-year-old man found his dead body in the 3400 block of South Lincoln Street on Wednesday. They believe the man, whose name hasn’t been released, was the victim…

Man shoots wife, turns himself in to police (42)

A 47-year-old man shot his wife during an argument in Aurora on Monday. He turned himself into police and is now in custody. The couple had no relatives in the area, and the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s office is working with out-of-state police to locate next of kin. Until they do,…

Puppy stomped to death, thrown in dumpster

Two days before Christmas, Christopher Blackstone of Colorado Springs got into an argument with his girlfriend, Talitha Peterson-Hooks. She ignored his subsequent calls and texts, and, according to the police report, that’s when Blackstone turned to Peterson-Hooks’s three-to-five-month-old puppy and stomped on its head repeatedly…

Denver Police Department goes all Law & Order in new video series

The Denver Police Department is releasing a series of action-filled videos demonstrating the work of a police officer. The first one came out today and features a foot chase after a would-be bank robber near Curtis Park. It’s got it all: voiceover, dramatic orchestration, slo-mo and, of course, a perp…