Chase Murder Arrest!

Discussion in 'Justice for JonBenet Discussion - Public Forum' started by RiverRat, Jan 27, 2008.

  1. Little

    Little Member

    11 years later, Chase murder trial begins
    Prosecutors will use DNA evidence, prior victims in case against Alcalde
    By John Aguilar (Contact)
    Sunday, June 7, 2009
    BOULDER, Colo. — The mother of slain University of Colorado student Susannah Chase will travel 1,800 miles from Stamford, Conn., to Boulder to be at the trial of her daughter's suspected killer, hoping to see justice dispensed after 11 1/2 years.

    The defendant's mother -- unemployed, in ill health and without a car -- doesn't know if she can make it the 35 miles from her home in Aurora to the Boulder courtroom where her son, Diego Olmos Alcalde, is set to defend himself this week against charges of rape, kidnapping and murder.

    Like the geographical and circumstantial distance that separates the women, their feelings about who is or isn't responsible for the savage 1997 death of the blond 23-year-old American studies major are similarly divergent.

    "I'm convinced this is who it is," Julie Chase said of Alcalde, who police linked to the crime through DNA evidence a decade after her daughter was pronounced dead at Boulder Community Hospital. "We're looking forward to having this over and behind us quickly."

    She said she has "complete confidence" that prosecutors will prove to a jury that the 39-year-old Chilean native beat her daughter with a baseball bat, raped her and dumped her in an alley to die.

    Leticia Olmos Snyder is equally adamant that her son is innocent, fingered by an overly eager police force desperate to solve a cold case.

    "I know he didn't do it," she said. "The police don't know what they're doing."

    snip

    Chase had been out with her boyfriend and his brother the evening before, having dinner in downtown Boulder and then partying on University Hill and the Pearl Street Mall. The CU senior was set to fly home to Connecticut the following day for Christmas vacation.

    Around 1:50 a.m., she decided to walk home alone from Abo's Pizza, located at the time at 10th and Pearl streets. The walk to her tidy brick home at 1802 Spruce St. should have taken about 10 minutes.

    But some time between when she left the pizzeria and two hours later, Chase had been savagely beaten, raped and left for dead in an alley about a block away from her house.

    Police, who found blood and a blood-stained baseball bat at the southwest corner of 18th and Spruce streets, believe Chase made it within 40 feet of her front door when she was attacked and dragged to a car half a block away.

    She died the next day -- Dec. 22, 1997 -- after being on life support for more than 24 hours.

    snip

    Julie Chase is left wondering how she, her husband and her four grown children are going to handle the next month in court.

    "I can't quite decide where I am," she said. "I did not think we would ever see this day."

    She said up until just a few days ago, she was expecting a delay or postponement of the trial and another period of waiting.

    Julie Chase said prosecutors have told her that they will alert her and her family if there is any unexpectedly graphic testimony or evidence to be shown to the jury so that she can choose whether to leave the courtroom.

    But otherwise, she said she is committed to being at as much of the trial as she possibly can be.

    "I don't know," she said, "what you could possibly do to get ready for this."

    Contact Camera Staff Writer John Aguilar at 303-473-1389 or aguilarj@dailycamera.com.
    http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2009/jun/0...-diego-alcalde/
     
  2. Little

    Little Member

    Just have to post "No one is every guilty" Demuth's remarks.

     
  3. koldkase

    koldkase FFJ Senior Member

    If Boulder can't convict this lowlife woman raper and killer, they they should just fold up the DA's Office and close the BPD. Let the citizens defend themselves, Wild West style.

    Seems like it's coming to that everywhere these days, as a matter of fact. Thanks to the Trip DeMuths, Haddons, Hunters, Lacys, and Steve Jacobsons of the legal world.

    I hope the jury and judge give the raping, murdering, psychopath, *** the death penalty. And I hope he's been Alex Midyette's best boyfriend. :justice:
     
  4. Elle

    Elle Member

    Thanks for posting this, Little. Eleven years is a long time for a mother and her family to wait on news of a trial for her daughter's killer. Sad! I hope they have good evidence to prove it.
     
  5. Little

    Little Member

    Jury selection underway in Susannah Chase murder case

    Jury selection underway in Susannah Chase murder case
    By John Aguilar (Contact)
    Originally published 09:52 a.m., June 8, 2009
    Updated 09:52 a.m., June 8, 2009
    BOULDER, Colo. — Jury selection got underway Monday morning in the trial of Diego Olmos Alcalde, the man accused of beating to death 23-year-old Susannah Chase in Boulder nearly a dozen years ago.

    Lawyers in the case are meeting behind closed doors for one-on-one interviews with prospective jurors and are expected to continue doing so throughout the day.

    Jury Commissioner Pat Wittreich said the court began with a jury pool of 258 people and that lawyers would be questioning potential jurors at the rate of 10 an hour. She said individual interviews would likely continue into Tuesday.

    Alcalde is on trial for the Dec. 21, 1997 rape and bludgeoning of Chase, a University of Colorado senior who was walking from the Pearl Street Mall to her home at 1802 Spruce St. when she was hit over the head with a baseball bat, raped and dumped in an alley near her home.

    She died the next day.

    Police were unable to name any suspects in the case for more than a decade. They arrested Alcalde in January 2008 after his DNA -- submitted to a nationwide criminal database -- matched genetic material found in Chase's body.

    Alcalde insists he did not kill Chase.

    The trial is expected to last about four weeks.
    http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2009/jun/08/jury-selection-susannah-chase-murder-trial/
     
  6. Elle

    Elle Member

    I wonder what the potential bombshell could be, Little (?)
     
  7. koldkase

    koldkase FFJ Senior Member

    Well, since you asked...in a fit of ire at Trip DeStup for betraying JonBenet Ramsey, as did so many working in the DA's Office...I responded to that very question you asked on the DC website "comment" section. So I am giving myself permission to copy my comment in full, and here is what I speculated. :bateye:

     
  8. Little

    Little Member

    Jury in Chase murder case may be seated soon

    Jury in Chase murder case may be seated soon
    Jury selection moves to open court Wednesday
    By John Aguilar (Contact)
    Originally published 10:25 a.m., June 9, 2009
    Updated 05:38 p.m., June 9, 2009
    BOULDER, Colo. — Boulder County’s Courtroom Q should be bulging with prospective jurors Wednesday morning, as lawyers in the Diego Olmos Alcalde murder case will spend most of the day seating a 12-person jury — plus four alternates — for the month-long trial.

    Alcalde, 39, is accused of raping and beating to death 23-year-old University of Colorado student Susannah Chase nearly 12 years ago in Boulder's Whittier neighborhood. Police linked him to the cold case last year when a sample of his DNA matched with evidence recovered from the crime scene that was submitted to a criminal database.

    About 85 potential jurors are expected to crowd into the courtroom for the final stage of jury selection Wednesday, which will consist of lawyers asking questions of prospective jurors in open court.

    People called for jury duty in the case have so far spent two days behind closed doors answering questions from lawyers and Boulder District Judge James Klein.

    About 170 members of the jury pool have been dismissed since last week, said Boulder County Jury Commissioner Pat Wittreich.

    If a jury is seated by the end of the day Wednesday, opening statements could be heard Thursday morning.
    http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2009/jun/09/jury-picking-chase-murder-case-enters-second-day/
     
  9. Little

    Little Member

    LOL, well, KK's scenario about covered it all. Actually, it's more of a sad but potentially true scenario.

    Love the name DeStup KK. It's very fitting. This is the guy who thought that the little Jason Midyette's death wasn't necessarily criminal. Not his exact words, but close enough.

    Little
     
  10. Elle

    Elle Member


    I'm way behind all you younger ones with this case, Little. [​IMG] However with the nicer weather it's great to be outside. I'll just let you kids get on with it. :)
     
  11. koldkase

    koldkase FFJ Senior Member

    Sorry, Little, didn't mean to answer the question put to you, but I'm guilty of "copy and paste" syndrome: it's too easy to do. :reporter:

    Yeah, old Cowboy Boots thinks he is more than a pretty face, but with time now hanging on it, he's not even that. He's as shallow as they come: clueless, easily led and dictated to, and will always follow the easy path.
     
  12. koldkase

    koldkase FFJ Senior Member

    Wise move, Elle. I should be outside in the garden myself, but Rat will have my head if I don't gripe and moan about this case at least once a day! :burnedup:
     
  13. Little

    Little Member

    No problem KK!!! Your answer was a lot better than anything I could have come up with.
     
  14. Little

    Little Member

    Prospective jurors in Chase case answer questions in open court

    Prospective jurors in Chase case answer questions in open court
    By John Aguilar (Contact)
    Originally published 08:51 a.m., June 10, 2009
    Updated 11:53 a.m., June 10, 2009
    BOULDER, Colo. — Jury selection in the Susannah Chase murder case entered the final stage this morning as questioning of potential jurors shifted from behind closed doors to an open courtroom at the Boulder County Justice Center.

    Nearly 100 potential jurors filed into Courtroom Q to take an oath and answer questions from Boulder District Judge James Klein, as Diego Olmos Alcalde -- who is charged with raping and beating to death the 23-year-old University of Colorado student in 1997 -- looked on.

    Alcalde, 39, was dressed in a black suit with navy blue shirt and tie, and is wearing glasses. He laughed easily with others as several prospective jurors gave humorous responses to the judge's questions.

    Forty-four potential jurors sat in the front of the courtroom and were asked to introduce themselves and state their professions. Careers ranged from pastor to electrical engineer to Wal-Mart employee to U.S. Marine.

    Another 40 people sat in the spectator section of the courtroom ready to be called to the front as replacements if needed.

    Lawyers from both sides in the case will be allowed to dismiss 14 potential jurors each until a panel of 12 jurors -- plus four alternates -- is left.

    Only one potential juror has been dismissed so far.

    Klein spent most of the morning asking the jury pool if they had ever been involved in the justice system before, whether they had any friends or family who worked in law enforcement, and whether they felt they could be impartial in the case.

    If a jury is seated by the end of today, opening statements could be heard Thursday morning.

    Jury selection will resume this afternoon.

    Alcalde was linked to Chase's murder last year after his DNA matched genetic material recovered at the crime scene and submitted to a nationwide criminal database. He denies involvement in the case.

    http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2009/jun/10/susannah-chase-diego-alcalde-boulder-murder-jury/
     
  15. koldkase

    koldkase FFJ Senior Member

    Thanks for keeping us updated on this case, Little. You're so good to do this. I for one am holding my breath to see what "surprises" are sprung by the defense, foretold by Cowboy Trip.
     
  16. Elle

    Elle Member

    I don't dig the soil any more KK. I just enjoy the scenery. :) All kidding aside, I do appreciate the time taken by everyone on FFJ involved in the research. It is very time consuming, but rewardng when you come across something you have missed. Just wish we could read how the new investigation on JonBenét is progressing (?).
     
  17. koldkase

    koldkase FFJ Senior Member

    I was thinking about that myself recently, Elle.

    Alas, I will be surprised if we ever hear another word on the case from Boulder, other than "No comment."
     
  18. Moab

    Moab Admin Staff Member

    Little, I certainly appreciate all the updates too...you are very kind to do so...maybe we should clone you for some of the other cases as well? :bateye:
     
  19. Little

    Little Member

    Not to be greedy or anything, but if you do clone me could you make that 2 extra? I sure could use an extra me at work and at home :) Then the third me might be able to do something fun.

    Little
     
  20. Moab

    Moab Admin Staff Member

    That is not greedy at all...I soooooo know what you are talking about...sometimes, it is only 1 extra hand I need around the house...it isn't even a full person while I am lifting something or moving something (or most likely trying to "hang" something)!

    How about we clone x 4?
    #1 can be this little shadow of us which only pops out when we need that extra hand,
    #2 can do all the tasks we would rather not do, or that we don't have time to do (plus carry in the groceries from the car)
    #3 can go live vicariously trying all that we don't dare
    #4 (just so there is always one on the charger)
     
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