Eric Bravo took over the case with the help of Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) agent Kevin Torres. It was tense because the time was ticking away, and the tires were turning on the road, Chostner said. Schelling didnt show up to work on Feb. 5, and her worried co-worker Savannah Heggie tried calling her. But soon, Kelsie started confiding in her friends that her boyfriend was physically abusive and exhibited other toxic behavioral traits. 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. Colette Bordelon also spoke to Martinez's cousin, who said he believes her murder does have to do with the trial. You couldn't see what kind of vehicle, you couldn't tell who was in the car, Pueblo police Capt. Later, when Schelling's car was recovered, Lucas' DNA and a strand of his mother's hair were discovered inside. Leave me alone, Lucas said. It reaches the surface, he said. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). Saxton said the messenger told her Lucas had sold her daughter into sex trafficking. S43 E19 Finding Kelsie A young woman goes missing. On Monday, he was sentenced to life in prison. Read More: Where is Kelsie Schellings Mother Now? She met Donna Whitson, single Continued. The prosecution asked Binet if Lucas had told Sinnema in their Feb. 9 conversation about Schelling calling him from the private number that same day. 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. While this text was being sent, Torres said Schellings phone was pinging off of a cell tower within the area of Canon National Bank, where Donthe Lucas was seen on camera withdrawing $400 from Schellings bank account while driving her 2011 Chevy Cruze. Binet said there were several red flags in Schellings case that led him to believe she was more than just missing. She said they dated for a year when, on his porch, he started hyperventilating and crying. That's direct evidence.. 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. Police found Schelling's car in a Walmart parking lot in Pueblo a few days after she was reported missing. According to News5's Colette Bordelon, Suhr would not categorize herself as a "sex informant," which she was called by the defense. Then, at 11:10 p.m., he told her to go to another location near his grandmothers house. But tragically, Kelsie Schelling went missing soon after she revealed her pregnancy to her partner, Donthe Lucas. Either make things work with me or walk away.. Sinnema said Lucas told him that Schelling returned later that morning, again to discuss their relationship. I miss all the things that we didn't get to do together., 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. It was discovered during the trial Wednesday morning that an upcoming witness in the trial was found shot to death last week in Denver. He reportedly asks what the doctors told her and she replies that everything looked good and that her due date was Sept. 13. Lucas was sentenced to. Her beloved daughter disappeared less than two weeks before her 22nd birthday on February 4, 2013. 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). 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. 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. I never was.. Saxton was the first witness to testify. Dan is a reporter with the 13 Investigates team. Binet also said Lucas did not at any point tell him hed dropped Schellings vehicle off at St. Mary-Corwin, nor did he mention that he had used Schellings debit card to withdraw money from her account. Hours later she vanished. Lucas was arrested on Feb. 15, 2013 for felony identity theft for using Schellings debit card. Emails the messenger had sent proved to be untraceable and an FBI analysis of their Facebook page revealed they used an IP address in Russia. Kelsie Schelling's childhood rocked with emotional fallout from family split: Part 1Schelling's parents got divorced and she lived with her mother, Laura Sax. Prosecutors confirmed that Wilkins and Martinez were the same person. The person you may send to pick up the cash at a particular location may know nothing about what the scam is.. "Kelsie Schelling was feloniously killed when Donthe Lucas committed first-degree murder, second-degree murder, or manslaughter against Kelsie and Sara Lucas and Lucas acted as. If its really what happened Im so sorry you had to go through that alone, Lucas said in a text to Schelling. 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. If 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. 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. 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. Its going to be OK, Saxton said she told her daughter. He inferred that Schelling had lied about being pregnant numerous times in the past to try to, make me stay with her and keep talking to her or whatever.. 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. She was reportedly on her way from Denver to Pueblo to discuss the pregnancy with Lucas. They instructed Saxton to bring the money to a specific McDonalds restaurant in Vancouver, Washington, and to hand deliver it to a person named Marcus who would be wearing a red hat. Using cell phone data from Lucas and Schellings phones, the prosecution believes both phones were in the same location as the texts were being exchanged. It made me sick. Then, prosecutors played Lucas interrogation tape for the jury. She said she doesn't have her phone, and she said she'll be getting ahold of you.. It was just a special bond that we formed. The UN and the Colonial World: International Trusteeship and Non-Self-Governing Territories; 2. In the back of my mind, I always kept that he is potentially a murderer.. 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. She wanted that baby. However, Kadie, Megan Lancasters sister-in-law, did make her meeting. Months turned to years without answers. 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. After 13 days of trial, the defense surprised many when they announced they would not call any witnesses and immediately rested their case. The defenses strategy, though, was to contend how this case was the biggest stretch in Colorado history as there was no body, no crime scene, and no DNA evidence against Donthe. Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. In most scams, they're compartmentalized, Garrett said. It was the most emotional moment in the courtroom today by far, watching a mother look at these remnants of her daughter. 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. @KOAA. Im very grateful that our paths crossed and God took us to this moment.. Schelling left work shortly after 8:40 p.m. and drove two hours to see Lucas in Pueblo. This article has been updated, and we apologize for the error. MORE: Lucas trial day 2: Friends of Kelsie Schelling speak to a toxic and abusive relationship. Im not going today, Lucas allegedly responded. Introduction: Managing the World; 1. Still A Mystery. Four days passed after Schelling drove to Pueblo on the night of Feb. 4. Even though Kelsies remains have never been found, shes long since accepted her daughters death. Dont worry about me. Johnston also uses iek's combination of . Schelling goes to work that evening and she and Lucas continue to argue over text. She used to work out there and she lived there for a while. No one.. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here. By Feb. 7, Saxton said her calls to Schelling were going directly to voicemail. 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.. 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. Are you still coming (down to Pueblo) after work? Police say that Lucas cell phone data shows he couldve been at the landfill that night. @KOAA. Her mother said she wonders what would have become of her life. NR | 03.26.21 | 01:20:44 | CC more episodes 42:55 The first search warrant was executed at the suspects home on Feb. 14a period of 11 days, or 264 hours. Season 1. I know that my testimony could potentially help take him down, and that was realistically why I wanted to testify, she said. Unresolved: Release in which this issue/RFE will be addressed. She definitely had that phone with her, Lucas said. I was holding onto my dads hand. March 8, 2021 / 11:59 PM Lauren Suhr, a young single mother who didnt know Kelsie Schelling or her family, was so moved by Schellings story that she decided she would try to get information on Schelling, on her own initiative, from Donthe Lucas. Tate testified that after her appointment concluded, Schelling scheduled her follow-up appointment for March 4, 2013, but never showed up. We did not have a body that would've told us location No modus operandi of how she died. ABCs 20/20: Kelsie Schelling, as the title suggests, is an episode that chronicles the 2013 disappearance and murder of 21-year-old Kelsie Schelling from Denver, Colorado. Kelsie Schelling disappeared after driving down from Denver to Pueblo on February 4th, 2013. Torres detailed a text from Lucas to Schelling just before noon that said, Um, yeah you can if you werent scared to get fired. Then, he proposed to her. Saxton said she remembered asking investigators if these items were in the vehicle when it was recovered and she was told they were not. Though they have strong suspicions thats where Kelsie Schelling is, authorities say it would be next to impossible to conduct a systematic search of the landfill for her remains. When the time came, Saxton even took the stand against her daughters killer. Watch the full story on "20/20" FRIDAY at 9 p.m. Let me get her out of here. Just wait and see for yourself, you probably wouldnt believe me if I told you anyway, so you can see for yourself.. COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (CBS4) - Donthe Lucas was found guilty of murdering his pregnant ex-girlfriend Kelsie Schelling in 2013. 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. The defense argued it was a missing persons case. 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. 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. That Saturday morning, Saxton said her whole world just unraveled., All of her friends started contacting us saying, We've been trying to reach Kelsie and we can't reach her, Saxton said. 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. More women ice fishing? 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. She said the plan, orchestrated by one of her close friends, was to get close to Lucas. We're working on getting clarification on that issue. 10:50 a.m.: Opening statements wrapped up from prosecutors and Donthe Lucas' defense. In this week's True Crime Daily Podcast: An update to the Colorado cold case murder of missing pregnant woman Kelsie Schelling (1:50). One minute, he had no involvement. (viaABC News). Weeks passed until police learned they needed to move quickly to catch Lucas. Family photo. Saxton said she asked him to track the number and that he said he would, but, of course, he never did, Saxton said. Michelle Chostner, the lead prosecutor in Schellings case, confirmed that investigators interviewed Martinez but could not comment on anything that wasnt admitted in trial. Their argument continued through texts beyond 4 a.m. MORE:Lucas trial day 1: Former inmate testifies Lucas admitted guilt to the murder, Later that morning, Torres read texts from Schelling to Lucas that said, Im sorry for hanging up on you over and over. PUEBLO The Pueblo murder trial of Donthe Lucas, who is accused of murdering his pregnant ex-girlfriend 21-year-old Kelsie Schelling in 2013, continued Wednesday following testimony from. The white stain in #Schelling's car was negative for saliva. In an intake questionnaire at the doctor, Tatesaid there was a question asking whether the respondent hasone sexual partner or many. In May 2016, just after 20/20 covered Schellings case, Pueblo Police Capt. Im sorry for hanging up on you … I truly am. 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. PUEBLO, Colo. (KDVR) After numerous delays in the trial of the man accused of killing Kelsie Schelling in 2013, Donthe Lucas was found guilty by a jury in in a Pueblo courtroom. It's not guilty. So it's a strong message.. I mean, who wants that for their child to be the final resting place? Roxann Martinez was shot and killed at the intersection of E. Kenyon Dr. and S. Wabash St. at 11 p.m. on Feb 25. 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. 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. 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. Her family also received a message from someone who claimed to know where Lancaster was. So be ready., At 9:19 p.m., Schelling texts Lucas to say that shes in Monument. ET on ABC. Binet said yes, but noted while an individual wanting to disappear might try not to leave a trail, they are most often not very successful.. Roxann Martinez, 31, was found dead on Feb. 25 from a gunshot wound and her death has been classified a homicide. At 9:56 p.m., she texts again, saying, Almost there. Lucas also told police that he and Schelling went to the Walmart to get snacks before she made the drive back to Denver. 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. 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. Saxton testified that she wasn't happy with the Pueblo Police Department's investigation, saying they weren't willing to coordinate with her on searches to try and find Kelsie. That's just 100% clarification that some dirt bags out there are trying to get money off of these poor families.. Silly, she was so silly., I miss being silly with her, Saxton added. You heard from Detective Kevin Torres how important the first 48 hours of an investigation are, and this defendant had 264, Chostner told the jury in closing arguments. Her. Tatesaid her evaluation of Schelling showed no indication of prior pregnancies, miscarriages of abortions. Text messages showed the emotionally abusive relationship Kelsie was in. Torres said in the surveillance video showing the cash withdrawal, Schelling cannot be seen in the vehicle. New5's Colette Bordelon reports that the District Attorney has confirmed that Martinez was going to testify for the prosecution this week that Lucas confessed to her that he killed Schelling. Initially, their relationship seemed idyllic. Eighteen hours later, an unknown man is seen getting in the car and driving away. 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. The story was featured in the international media, including on America's Most Wanted, [2] before her body was found near a lake in Missouri on June 6, 2007. The car was moved from that location the following morning, then showed up at St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center Feb. 9. Thankfully I had a great team. Without a crime scene, murder weapon or body, how could the jury be convinced this was murder, and that Lucas was responsible? I deliberated on it and I looked at the practicalities of it, Chostner said. Binet asked Lucas if he had any idea where Schelling might be, to which Lucas replied: Honestly, Im not too sure. But at 11:10 p.m., Lucas had still not arrived at Walmart. 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. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Eric Bravo took over the case with the help of Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) agent Kevin Torres. 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. 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). She confirmed for us Donthe admitt[ed] it was him in the Walmart surveillance video that [he] had dropped Kelsie's car off and then returned the next day and picked it up, Torres said. Asked about the conversation he allegedly had with Schelling the prior day, Feb. 9, when she called him from a blocked number, Lucas said the conversation was very short and consisted of Schelling yelling at him and telling him not to leave her voicemails. But more importantly, I wanted the jury to hear the defendant, in his own words, say, I lied.. I felt like he did genuinely develop feelings for me and did genuinely fall in love with me. During the interview, Lucas admitted to moving Schelling's car specifically, driving it from the Walmart where they were supposed to meet to a nearby medical center where it was later found. 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. MORE:Lucas trial day 3: Kelsie Schelling's friends continue testimony, cellphone records discussed. She received a Facebook message from a person who claimed to be a woman but wanted to remain anonymous, and claimed to have information about Schellings disappearance. DENVER A woman found dead in Denver's Hampden South neighborhood on Feb. 25 was scheduled to testify in the murder trial of Kelsie Schelling, the Pueblo County District Attorney's Office . She also informed us that Donthe admitted to her to being the one on the video dropping Kelsie's car off at [the] hospital.. Ive been here over an hour just waiting., Schelling didnt show up to work on Feb. 5, and a worried co-worker tried calling her. 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. Text messages show he first instructed her to go to a specific Walmart on the south side of town. kelsie schelling murder, mollie tibbetts murder, true crime series. Saxton also pleaded with police to not stop searching for her daughter's body, so she can have a proper burial. Messages on Schelling's phone showed she texted Lucas that she was pregnant, and his replies indicated he was unhappy. 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. 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. Now, follow one mother's crusade for justice in this true crime investigation. Youre good. "We're doing everything in our power. 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. The Version table provides details related to the release that this issue/RFE will be addressed. She did say that he called once from jail, but they ultimately never spoke again. Donthe Lucas in court for Kelsie Schelling's murder. The Pueblo landfill said there was evidence of a car at the dump and Lucas' cell phone data suggest he could have been there the night of Feb. 4, 2013. I'm never going to recover without getting her back, Saxton said. It was like standing on the precipice of a cliff and looking down, Chostner said. Schelling, Tatesaid, checked the box indicating just one. A Kelsie Schelling opust domov a u se nikdy nevrt lo o hroznou nehodu, nebo nco dsivjho? 20/20 was there when Marcus went to collect the cash in 2015 -- with Lancaster and an undercover reporter using a hidden camera and microphone. 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. 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. Suhr said during her testimony that Lucas characterized Schelling as a "best friend" because she basically paid for everything. No blood was found on two knives collected. On 4 February, Kelsie got confirmation of her pregnancy from her doctor and sent the scan pictures to Lucas. Schelling was reportedly traveling from Denver to Pueblo to talk to Lucas about the pregnancy. We know that that's his phone. The next day, Schellings father tried to get in touch with her and received a strange text waving him off. Her body has never been found. He testified to various tests he ran on around 45 items of evidence. Well, there certainly were evidentiary problems, Chostner said. This all eventually came to a head in February 2013, after Schelling seemingly vanished without a trace even though the investigation turned up activity on Schelling's cell per her phone records, along with footage of Lucas withdrawing $400 from his girlfriend's account in the days after her disappearance, per ABC News. I mean, I could barely function.. Obviously it's an important piece of evidence that he moved the car because it shows he's covering up the crime. This led them to believe Lucas had murdered Schelling, and disposed of her body there, though her remains have never been found. Moreover, only a day earlier in Denver, Schelling's doctor had told her that the baby was healthy. Next on the witness stand was Kathleen Tate, a medical doctor who handled Schellings original OBGYN visit on Feb. 4. Schelling tells Lucas at 11:21 a.m. that shes finished her appointment. 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. Sa fortune s lve 2 000,00 euros mensuels Walker said there are several different ways domestic violence offenders controls their victims -- through financial abuse, leveraging family dynamics, such as the presence of children, threats and intimidation and withholding emotional support. We also spoke to Martinez's cousin exclusively. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Dont worry. Criminal defense attorney Danielle Iredale joins host Ana Garcia. Donthe Lucas, 28, was found guilty on Monday in the killing of his missing girlfriend, Kelsie Schelling, according to the Denver Post. I love you very much and you know it. Now that she is gone, Ive had to turn into a fighter, Saxton told 20/20.. Schelling left work shortly after 8:40 p.m. and drove two hours to see Lucas in Pueblo. Kelsie Schelling with her mom Laura Saxton. Its really hard to find words to use for it, because its so awful. The burden of proof is on the government, former Pueblo public defender Lisa Wayne told 20/20. So it's simply messaging in a very strong way to the jury, They haven't done it. He was within 20 minutes of getting on a plane for Tucson, Arizona, when he was arrested.. It said, Where are you? Saxton got choked up when identifying her daughter's birth certificate, passport, and an expired passport from when #Schelling was "just a little girl." 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. By May 2018, a judge said prosecutors had proved probable cause. By taking this avowal seriously, Adrian Johnston nally claries the philosophical project underlying iek's eorts. Donthe Isiah Lucas pleaded not guilty to the charge against him in 2018. The jury found Lucas guilty of first-degree murder in a verdict that was delivered just after 4 p.m. Monday. 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 gave an emotional and powerful testimony emphasizing to the jury her daughter Kelsie really wanted to have her child. Thus, today, at the age of 28, Donthe Isiah Lucas, or inmate 190792, is incarcerated in the Centennial Correctional Facility in Canon City.