Chris Watts saved his own life after killing family with guilty plea

Colorado dad pleads guilty in killing of pregnant wife, 2 daughters

ABC News
By CLAYTON SANDELL, CAROL MCKINLEY EMILY SHAPIRO
Nov 6, 2018

A Colorado man arrested in the killing of his pregnant wife and two young daughters pleaded guilty Tuesday to all charges against him as his wife's family looked on, holding each other and sobbing.

In exchange for Chris Watts' guilty plea, the death penalty will not be considered, the Weld County District Attorney's office said. The victims' family agreed to those terms, the district attorney's office added.

Wearing an orange jumpsuit, shackles, and an olive green bulletproof vest, Watts told the judge he understood the plea agreement reached with prosecutors. He pleaded guilty to five counts of murder in the first degree, three counts of tampering with a deceased human body and one count of unlawful termination of pregnancy, prosecutors said.

As the judge read each charge one by one, Watts pleaded "guilty," his voice sometimes cracking.
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Service groups team up for homeless veterans in Colorado

Local veteran services organizations come together to help homeless vets

FOX 21 News

Taylor Bishop

October 16, 2018

"I came close to losing my home a few times. This program was very near and dear to me because of what it has done for the community as well as me giving back to those that had given to me my whole life," said Littler.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Defending those who have defended our freedom, the 20th Annual El Paso County Homeless Veterans Stand Down took place Tuesday, at the Colorado Springs City Auditorium.

Close to 200 homeless veterans in the community got the chance to connect with employment, housing, and health services, all in one place.

Veterans in need were also given new clothing and flu shots for the coming winter season.

Brian Wess with the El Paso County Homeless Veterans Coalition said, "If you're living in the barracks and you have your meals, three a day, your focus is on training to kill the enemy. Your focus isn't on how to live your life and pay bills every day and it's a completely different skill set that a lot of them, if they go in at 18 or 19 years old, they don't necessarily get if they haven't gotten it from their parents growing up."

Twenty-two year Army veteran Mitchell Littler says it was the fellowship and camaraderie through the VFW that helped pull him out of tough times, which is why he's been using this event to give back to his fellow vets for the past four years.

go here for video

Green Beret was shot twice but kept fighting

Green Beret killed 6 insurgents and saved his men despite being shot twice and hit with a grenade
Military Times
By: J.D. Simkins
1 day ago

A 12-man team from the Colorado-based 10th Special Forces Group was advising Iraqi National Police on Sept. 10, 2007, during a mission to capture a high value target from the Islamic State of Iraq in the area of Samarra, Iraq.

(Left to right) Halbisengibbs, Lindsay, Chaney. (Army)

Two helicopters were originally scheduled to deliver the men at 2 a.m. to a field on the outskirts of the village, but when the pilots saw the planned landing zone covered in water, they had to set the assault teams down closer to the target.

The noisy arrival alerted the bodyguards of Abu Obaeideah, the area’s kingpin who had been wanted for a year for killing Iraqis — and their families — who considered joining the police force.

Over the course of a hellish 10 minutes, the three-man assault team killed Abu Obaeideah and 11 of his crew and helped free a hostage.

“Pretty much the three of them single-handedly secured that objective,” Maj. Will Beaurpere, the men’s commander, told Stars and Stripes.

All three would recover from their injuries.

For his actions, Jarion Halbisengibbs received the Distinguished Service Cross, the Army’s second highest award for valor.

Capt. Matthew Chaney and Sgt. 1st Class Michael Lindsay were presented with Silver Stars.
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250,000 radiology orders at VA canceled?

‘I knew something was not right’: Mass cancellations of diagnostic test orders at VA hospitals draw scrutiny
USA TODAY
Donovan Slack
Oct. 1, 2018

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Radiology technologist Jeff Dettbarn said he knew something was wrong at the Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Iowa City, Iowa, when a patient arrived in February 2017 for a CT scan, but the doctor’s order for it had been cancelled.

“To have a patient show up for a scan and not have an order – you’re like, ‘What the heck is going on?’” he told USA TODAY in an interview.

Dettbarn started collecting cancellation notices for diagnostic procedures such as CT scans, MRIs and ultrasounds.

“I knew something was not right,” he said. “Because none of them were cancelled by a physician.”

Cancellations of more than 250,000 radiology orders at VA hospitals across the country since 2016 have raised questions about whether – in a rush to clear out outdated and duplicative diagnostic orders – some facilities failed to follow correct procedures. At issue is a concern over whether some medically necessary orders for CT scans and other imaging tests were cancelled improperly.

The VA inspector general is now auditing mass cancellations at eight VA medical centers “to determine whether VA processed radiology requests in a timely manner and appropriately managed canceled requests,” VA Inspector General Michael Missal said.

Those hospitals are in Tampa and Bay Pines, Florida; Salisbury, North Carolina; Cleveland; Dallas; Denver; Las Vegas; and Los Angeles.
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Sarges Grill Closed, Employees Not Paid

Veteran-owned restaurant closes; employees say they haven't been paid
KKTV 11 News
By Danielle Kreutter
Jun 19, 2018

FOUNTAIN, Colo. (KKTV) - Dozens of employees are out hundreds of dollars after the restaurant they worked at suddenly closed without notice. This happened at both locations of Sarges' Grill.

The restaurant is veteran-owned and aimed at serving veterans, active duty military members, first responders and law enforcement at their locations in Fountain and Colorado Springs.

Over the weekend, customers hoping to eat at Sarges' were met with locked doors and signs saying the business had closed.

It was a surprise to regulars. Several employees told 11 News they didn't get much notice either.

"I was supposed to get paid Wednesday and [a co-worker] was supposed to get paid Thursday, but nothing," said Michael Yamoaah, a former cook at the restaurant.

Yamoaah and the former kitchen manager, Nathan Mayfield, told 11 News the sudden closure happening so soon before rent and bills are due has left dozens of employees in a bad spot.

"[There's] 30-40 employees at least. He owes us each three weeks' pay. I know for me it's 120 hours, about $1,500. It doesn't seem like a lot but for people like us, we live check to check. I've got bills to pay right now," Mayfield said.
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Granddaughter of Vietnam Veteran Tribute Goes Viral

‘Like Bricks In My Chest’: Teenager Pens Essay In Honor Of Vietnam Veterans
CBS 4 Denver
By Jeff Todd
June 11, 2018

WELD COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) – It’s a group known for not having a proper welcome home, but Weld County is working to change that history for Vietnam Veterans.

“It really made me feel like I’ve been welcomed home,” said Steve White.

Weld County started holding pinning ceremonies in 2016. The ceremony on June 2 honored 62 veterans with pins and certificates of appreciation, but it was even more special for White.

“To see them and shake their hands and thank them for their service, it was amazing,” said Caitlyn Olson, White’s granddaughter and the Keynote Speaker at the event. “How grateful they were for being recognized because that wasn’t something that happened at the time. That’s not how it should have been.”
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Brothers in arms, your sisters covered you

Female veteran's lament becomes powerful song with help from Songwriting With Soldiers project
Democrat and Chronicle
Gary Craig
April 13, 2018

I was just like you when the bullets flewI had your back, you had mine tooBrothers in arms, your sisters covered youDon't that make us your brother too?

Meghan Counihan’s daughter was 6 months old when Counihan was deployed to Afghanistan.

The mother of three, Counihan found herself riven by a tug-of-war of emotions, beckoned by call and duty: one for country, the other of motherhood.

Her uncles were veterans, as was her father, who'd been an Army truck mechanic in Vietnam. The military lineage spoke to her — she, too, would drive a truck for the Army — as did the vows she'd made with others in her Army unit.

“You’ve made this promise to your country, and you’ve made this promise to sacrifice, and you’ve made this promise to these people,” she said.

But at her Colorado home, she had this effervescent infant — still cuddling, still growing, still needing.

“It’s really hard to walk out that door and keep going,” Counihan said. “I was still breastfeeding. To leave when that is going on, you have a physical, visceral reaction.”
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Fort Logan National Cemetery won't acknowledge proper service?

‘Total Dishonor’: Marine Wife and Cemetery At Odds Over Headstone
CBS Denver
Michale Abeyta
March 29, 2018

“It’s a total dishonor of service,” said Kimberly. “Like he doesn’t matter. Like what he did for our country doesn’t matter.”

DENVER (CBS4) – A widow in Denver who went through the pain of losing her husband to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is now going through the pain of something else.

Kimberly Vigil says her husband’s headstone at Fort Logan National Cemetery is wrong.

Cpl. Elias Vigil served in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

When asked to describe her husband Kimberly said, “Elias was full of life. He was an outdoorsman. He was a family man. He loved serving in the Marines.”

Vigil spent a tour in Kuwait, but like so many who have served, he came home with PTSD.

“He was very silent about it. We talked a little bit when I went with him to therapy, but it was very small sessions,” Kimberly said.

Eventually it was too much. In December of 2017, Vigil died by suicide and left behind Kimberly and four children.

“It was a nightmare,” she said.
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Two Fort Carson Soldiers killed in helicopter crash

Two Fort Carson soldiers killed in helicopter crash
KKTV 11 News
Spencer Wilson
January 20, 2018

FORT IRWIN, CA (KKTV) Fort Carson has confirmed that an Army AH64 Apache helicopter crashed about 1 a.m. Saturday during pre-deployment training operations at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California.

Two 4th Infantry Division Soldiers were on board at the time of the accident. They died in the crash. Names and service information for those soldiers are being withheld pending next-of-kin notification.
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PTSD facility in Aurora VA not happening now?

Veterans react to news of no PTSD facility when new Aurora VA opens
KDVR News FOX 31
Kristin Haubrich
January 17, 2018

"The hardest wound to overcome that I battle every day is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder."  Ian Newland

DENVER -- Department of Veterans Affairs officials announced on Wednesday their new Aurora hospital will no longer have a post-traumatic stress disorder facility when they first open their doors.

FOX31 talked to veterans who are directly affected by the lack of a PTSD facility at the new campus and the delayed opening of the new VA.

“I was in the trail Humvee and an enemy insurgent threw a hand grenade through the top,” combat Army Veteran, Ian Newland said.

Newland’s body is full of shrapnel. He was nearly killed in Iraq in a grenade attack. Over the past decade, he’s overcome several physical wounds, but there’s one not so easy to heal.

“The hardest wound to overcome that I battle every day is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder."

At his lowest point, Newland attempted to take his own life. He said his treatment for PTSD at the Denver VA, only worsened his situation.

“It reminds me of a grade school program. This is what PTSD is, this is how you suffer with it and this is what our text books say how you can overcome it. It did nothing for me. It actually exacerbated my PTSD and made it worse,” Newland said.

Newland traveled more than 300 miles to South Dakota where he received six months of cognitive therapy. He was told that same program would be offered at the new Aurora VA, but it turns out that program won’t be available when they first open.
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VA Doctor "Unaware of Patient's History" Seriously?

Investigators: Colorado veteran died after getting painkillers
The Denver Post
Dan Elliott Associated Press
November 30, 2017

DENVER — A Colorado man suffering from chronic pain died two days after he obtained methadone with a prescription from a Veterans Affairs Department doctor, government investigators said Thursday, but they could not determine whether the drug contributed to his death.

The VA inspector general, an internal watchdog agency, said the patient at the Grand Junction veterans hospital was in his 60s and had a history of heart and lung problems. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned that methadone’s side effects may include irregular heartbeat and shallow breathing.

The doctor told investigators he was aware of the patient’s history and knew about the possible side effects of methadone, but the patient had taken the drug before and his heart and lung problems were stable.
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90 percent of Colorado Springs VA PTSD patients waiting longer

Report: Wait times falsified for 90 percent of Colorado Springs VA PTSD patients

KKTV 11 News

November 16, 2017

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (The Gazette) - An internal Department of Veterans Affairs watchdog told Congress Thursday that nine in ten PTSD patients at a Colorado Springs VA clinic had their wait times "inaccurately recorded."

Patients in Colorado Springs waited weeks and months longer for care than was recorded in VA records, making some of the agency's worst wait times in America even longer.

read more here

And gee, no shocker members of Congress pushing for the VA to be privatized slammed the VA instead of apologizing for not fixing the problems that have been reported for DECADES!

But here is a better report from FOX 31

Investigation: Denver VA hospital used improper waitlist for veterans’ mental health care

and in that report there was this,

Smothers went to Republican Sens. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Cory Gardner of Colorado, saying he had uncovered the unauthorized lists on spreadsheets in the VA computer system.They requested the investigation along with other members of Colorado’s congressional delegation, including Mike Coffman.“Putting veterans on secret waitlists is not acceptable. The VA should implement changes to provide the highest quality care for our veterans and hold wrongdoers accountable,” Johnson said in a statement.

You can read more of that here 

But whatever you read, consider the following.

2008
Associated Press report: "Peake promised to "virtually eliminate" the current list of 69,000 veterans who have waited more than 30 days for an appointment to get VA medical care.


2014

FROM NPR The inspector general of the Department of Veterans Affairs has affirmed that some 1,700 patients at the Phoenix VA hospital were put on unofficial wait lists and subjected to treatment delays of up to 115 days.In an interim report released Wednesday, the inspector general's office reported it had "substantiated that significant delays in access to care negatively impacted the quality of care" at Phoenix HCS.

Play a game of seek what they hide and discover how long they have been failing the veterans. 
(Hint: You'll have to track it back to the Revolutionary War) 

Fort Collins Murder Suicide Investigation Involves Florida Airman

Florida man killed in Fort Collins shooting was Air Force veteran
Coloradoan
John Borja
October 21, 21017

The 26-year-old Florida man who died in a Fort Collins shooting Thursday was a kind-hearted and brave individual, according to his family.

Investigators say U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Michael A. Zamora shot and killed Tristian Kemp and 22-year old Savannah McNealy outside a condominium complex early Thursday morning. Zamora also shot and injured another woman before killing himself, police said.

The woman who survived the shooting was taken to Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland and is expected to survive her injuries, police said.

Kemp spent part of his youth in Guam, and he was a 2009 graduate of George Washington High School.
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Manhunt for suspect extends from Colorado to Virginia

Manhunt for suspect extends from Colorado to Virginia 
NBC 9 News Colorado
KUSA
Jacob Rodriguez and Allison Sytte
August 4, 2017

Roberts is a MARSOC Marine - a highly trained branch of the Special Forces and is believed to be armed and dangerous, Dillon Police say. Roberts' family is working with authorities to try and resolve the situation.

The manhunt for a veteran suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder has extended from Colorado to Kansas and now Virginia over the past week.

William Roberts, 34, reportedly slammed into a Dillon Police car back on Tuesday after officers tried to arrest him at the Dillon Dam Brewery. A SWAT team entered the hotel room he was supposed to be staying in, but by the time they arrived, he'd already gone, police say.

Then, later that night, Roberts was pulled over for speeding in North Newton, Kansas - 557 miles from Dillon. When the officer that pulled him over learned he was wanted for hitting a police car, Roberts sped off, prompting a high-speed chase that spanned two counties. 

Even though his tires had been damaged by spike strips, he got away and is believed to have fled in a stolen truck all the way to Virginia.

Police in Botetourt County, Virginia, 1,700 miles from Dillon on the west side of the Appalachian mountains are currently conducting a manhunt for Roberts. 
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Disabled Veteran Captures "Porch Pirate" on Video

Denver ‘porch pirate’ caught on camera stealing packages from disabled veteran

POSTED 6:04 PM, JUNE 25, 2017, BY DAVE YOUNG AND JOE DAHLKE

DENVER -- "Porch pirate" crimes are on the rise in Denver and across the country.

Nine-year disabled U.S. Army veteran Mike Long and his wife had their new surveillance security system installed Thursday, and captured a woman walking up to their porch and stealing packages two days later.

"It does make you feel violated because that was my wife's jacket and some toiletries and some gifts and stuff like that," Long said.

The security footage shows the postal carrier dropping off two packages at their front door then hitting the doorbell.

Then, an identifiable a tattooed woman walks up to the porch and steals the packages.

"And it came to my phone as an alert and I came back home about 10 minutes later and they were gone," Long said.

Long called police and showed the officer the video while filling out a crime report.

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Air Force Major Died After Physical Training at Buckley

Air Force Major dies after physical training test at Buckley AFB
KUSA
Amanda Kesting
June 19, 2017

BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, COLO. - An Air Force Major has died following after becoming unresponsive during a physical training test at Buckley Air Force Base on Friday.

Major Elgin "Rick" Ross was pronounced dead at 9:22 a.m. on Saturday at the University of Colorado Hospital.

He had been completing a physical training test the day before on base when be became unresponsive and was transported to the hospital.

The cause of his death is still under investigation.
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Devoted Husband-Homeless Veteran Needs Place to Stay in Colorado

Homeless veteran looks for way to live near wife’s nursing home
BY TRIBUNE MEDIA WIRE
MAY 13, 2017

After 34 years of marriage and facing tremendous adversity, Steve Morrow's devotion doesn’t stop.

MORRISON, Colo. -- A recently homeless man wants nothing more than to be near his beloved wife who is living in a nursing home in Morrison, Colorado.

After losing his job and becoming homeless, Steve Morrow’s future is uncertain. After 34 years of marriage, the love between Morrow and his wife is as strong as ever.

“I love you so much,” Morrow told his wife Janet outside the nursing home Thursday afternoon.

"I love you so much, too,” Janet Morrow replied.

The proof of Steve Morrow's love can be found in a handwritten note left at the post office. In it, Morrow asks for a place to park his van near the nursing home.

“So that I can see my wife every day,” Morrow wrote.

Morrow, a 64-year-old Air Force veteran, worked for decades at a Denver-area box manufacturing plant until 18 months ago.

“They called everyone into the break room and said this is it, we’re closing the doors,” Morrow said.

A month earlier, Janet Morrow, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, was forced into a nursing home.
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Man Plead Guilty Burying Wife Under WWII Veteran's Grave

Colorado woman's remains found under grave of WWII veteran
Associated Press
Thomas Peipert
April 1, 2017

"For 7,826 days, 3 hours and 22 minutes, the location of Tina's remains has been a mystery," Weld County District Attorney Michael Rourke said in a news release Friday.

DENVER — A Colorado man who pleaded guilty Friday to killing his estranged wife more than two decades ago recently led authorities to her body, which was buried under the grave of a World War II veteran.

John Sandoval, 52, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 25 years in prison for the 1995 death of Kristina Tournai-Sandoval.

As part of a plea deal, he told investigators March 22 the remains were buried at a Greeley cemetery.
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Colorado Missing Iraq Veteran Cory Hixon Found Safe

Veteran’s family says his disappearance over weekend caused by poor VA care
FOX 31 News
BY DAVE YOUNG
MARCH 13, 2017

Somehow, the survivalist-trained Marine ended up in a Greeley jail Monday after stealing a sweater and something to eat. He still wasn't wearing shoes.

BROOMFIELD, Colo. -- It was just after 9:20 p.m. Saturday at Cory Hixon's Broomfield apartment when his family says the 33-year-old became distraught and jumped off a balcony wearing no shoes and no coat, disappearing into the night.

Two days later, as family watched and waited desperately for news, police with tracking dogs searched the area where they believe he might have gone.

“He's trying to leave so that he's no longer a burden to our family, which he's not,” said Cory’s wife, Shala Hixon.

During two combat tours in Iraq, the decorated U.S. Marine lost an eye during a firefight and suffered a traumatic brain injury from a mortar round that left him unconscious.

The injuries left the father of two young children with severe memory loss, anxiety, migraines and post traumatic stress disorder.
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Iraq Veteran Killed in Police Standoff

Police kill Eagle River veteran after standoff near Denver
Chugiak Eagle River Star
Tuesday, March 7, 2017

A former Eagle River resident and Marine reservist was shot and killed by police after a standoff near Denver on Friday.

According to the Denver Post, police in Englewood, Colorado were called Friday afternoon for a report that an armed man was barricaded inside a home holding several hostages. During the incident, police fatally shot Michael Kocher, 32, in the torso.

Kocher was profiled in a 2009 story in the Alaska Star in which he talked about a recent seven-month tour of duty in Iraq. In the story, Lance Cpl. Kocher is described as having worked in intelligence and communications while deployed with Delta Company, 4th Anti-Terrorism Battalion. He shared fond memories of sharing candy with Iraqi children while deployed with the Marines.

“All the convoys would take candy to toss to the kids,” he said, according to the profile written by Jill Fankhauser. “I’d always read that there were groups that would send over shipments of soccer balls and things like that to handout.”

Kocher told the Star he enlisted the help of his mother in Eagle River, who got donations of soccer balls, candy and stuffed animals for her son to give away to kids in Iraq. He also mused about missing home while deployed near the Syrian border and said he wasn’t a supporter of the war but wanted to serve despite his misgivings.

“Even when the war started, I didn’t particularly agree with the war,” he told the Star. “I knew other people my age there, so I figured I ought to be with them.”

According to the article, the 6-foot-8 Kocher studied political science at the University of Alaska Anchorage, where he was the first person to win a designated on-campus parking spot, the university reported in 2009.
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