Killer Dads: Fathers who ended their children's lives in situations involving child custody, visitation, and/or child support
COLORADO
Adams/Weld Counties
Father: KEVIN BRISTOL
Victim(s) Michael Bristol (4 years)
Date of Death: May 2012
Father attempting to gain child custody shot and killed son in murder-suicide.
Father: ROMON ENDERS
Victim(s): Jayden Hernandez (17 months)
Date of Death: March 2015
In October 2015, father indicted in death of son. Fatal injuries took place during father's weekend visitation. Not clear whether court-ordered or at mother's discretion.
Arapahoe County
Father: AARON THOMPSON
Victim(s): Aarone Thompson (7 years)
Date of Death: Reported missing in November 2005. Body never recovered.
Father convicted in September 2009 in daughter's murder. Father had custody as he had abducted the children from mother in Michigan.
Boulder County
Father: DAVID HEYDENBURG
Victim(s): Allyson Heydenburg (3 years)
Date of Death: August 2011
Father shot and killed daughter in murder-suicide during weekend visitation. Father purportedly upset over pending custody issues.
Denver County
Father: MICHAEL HERRON
Victim(s): D'Anthony Herron (2 months)
Date of Death: July 2014
Parents separated at time of baby's birth. Despite history of domestic violence, severe mental illness, drug abuse, and child sexual abuse, DSS awards father custody because mother living in motel while dad in transitional housing. Baby dies from head fracture two months later. Dad charged with murder.
Douglas County
*Father: SIMON GONZALES
Victim(s): Rebecca, Katheryn, and Leslie Gonzales (minor daughters)
Date of Death: June 1999
Custodial mother had order of protection. But police still refused to act or enforce the order when father abducted daughters. Hours later, father opened fire outside police station. Father killed in shoot out. Daughters found dead in the back of father’s pickup truck. Case eventually went to U.S. Supreme Court and Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
El Paso County
Father: DAMION MORINE
Victim(s): Toby Morine (7 years)
Date of Death: April 2012
Divorced dad killed son with shotgun in murder-suicide.
*Father: HANIF SIMS
Victim(s): Genesis Sims (9 years)
Date of Death: December 2008
Father obtained custody in New Jersey and retained custody despite child abuse investigations in that state. Father and girlfriend relocated to Colorado. Girl’s remains found in former home’s crawl space in May 2010. In November 2010, father, girlfriend both charged in girl’s death, ordered to trial. Father pleaded guilty to child abuse in daughter’s death in January 2012. Sentenced to 40 years in prison in April 2012.
Grand County
Father: WILLLIAM AHROLD
Victim(s): Jackson Ahrold (9 years)
Date of Death: December 2011
Divorced father with unspecified “custody order” shot son to death in murder-suicide. Father appears to have had history of alcoholism.
Jefferson County
Father: JOSEPH TRUJILLO
Victim(s): Adrian Trujillo (5 months)
Date of Death: January 2010
Father charged in death of infant son. Father had physical custody while mother in military. Father alleged to have left baby alone while father went out drinking for 7 hours. Baby later found dead. In October 2010 father sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Logan County
Father: MARK WEEKS
Victim(s): Alexis McClain (3 years)
Date of Death: July 2010
Custodial father, step charged with murder in death of daughter. Non-custodial mother lived out of state, apparently in California. Dad convicted of 1st-degree murder in November 2011, sentenced to 48 years in prison in January 2012.
Pueblo County
Father: JOHN WESLEY FRENCH
Victim(s): Desirea French (8 years)
Date of Death: April 2011
After botched murder-suicide, custodial father charged with 1st-degree murder in daughter’s shooting death. As of June 2012, a Pueblo district judge had allowed a jury to hear results from gunshot residue tests and see photographs taken of French while he was being prepared for brain surgery. Father convicted of 1st-degree murder in March 2013.