Evidence hearing set after delays in case against 2015 Northern Colorado shooting suspect
An evidence hearing has been scheduled in the case against the man accused in accused in two Northern Colorado shootings from 2015.
Christopher Parker, now 39, was arrested in March 2018 and faces charges of first-degree murder in the shooting death of 65-year-old William Connole and attempted first-degree murder related to shots fired at a motorcyclist, both in Loveland in 2015.
Since Parker's arrest more than three years ago, police have not released why they suspect Parker in the shootings. His arrest documents remain sealed to the public.
An evidence hearing scheduled in October will provide the first glimpse into this investigation since Parker's arrest.
Attorneys for the defense and prosecution told Judge Susan Blanco during Wednesday's hearing they were unable to reach a plea agreement in the case and needed to move toward a jury trial.
An evidence hearing was scheduled for Oct. 10 and half of Oct. 11. In that hearing, prosecutors will present some of the evidence they have and Blanco will decide if there is enough evidence to proceed to trial and to justify continuing to hold Parker in jail without bond.
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The hearing is set so far in advance to allow for the prosecution to coordinate with witnesses, many of whom have since retired or moved on from their positions in Larimer County's law enforcement, the prosecution told Blanco.
Parker was found mentally competent to proceed in the case in June 2021. His case had been at a standstill for nearly two years while he received mental health treatment to restore his mental competency so he could stand trial. Parker was found incompetent to proceed four times in that time frame, including as recently as September 2020, according to online court records.
Blanco first ordered Parker to undergo a mental competency evaluation in October 2018, and she ruled him incompetent to proceed in December 2018 after reading the doctor’s report. Prosecutors questioned the evaluation’s validity, saying the doctor spent only 90 minutes with Parker before reaching a determination.
Blanco then ordered a second evaluation and asked for it to include a longer observation period and a consultation with staff members so they could get a better assessment of Parker's mental state. After reviewing a May 2019 report, she declared Parker incompetent to proceed in June of that year.
Coloradoan and court records show he was also deemed incompetent to proceed in August 2020 and September 2020.
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Parker is accused of shooting and killing Connole, who was walking near the intersection of First Street and St. Louis Avenue in Loveland, as well as shooting at a motorcyclist in the same area.
The shootings were part of a spate of unsolved shootings in 2015. Just prior to Connole's death, Colorado law enforcement agencies and the Federal Bureau of Investigation formed the Northern Colorado Shooting Task Force.
The task force is investigating six shootings, but not all of them are linked to each other. The task force grouped them into three pairs, with each incident in a pair linked to each other with forensic evidence:
In April 2015, 20-year-old Cori Romero was shot while she was driving onto Interstate 25 between Fort Collins and Windsor. Romero was seriously injured, but she survived the shooting. Then, less than one month later, Windsor resident John Jacoby was gunned down while riding his bicycle.
Connole and a motorcyclist were shot in June 2015.
Two buildings were shot at in September 2015.
Investigators found no evidence linking the pairs of incidents to each other or to a single perpetrator.
Sheriff's office spokesperson David Moore recently told the Coloradoan the Northern Colorado Shooting Task Force has not received any new tips in a while, but they continue to monitor reports of similar incidents across the country to see if they could be connected to the shootings in Northern Colorado.
All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. Arrests and charges are merely accusations by law enforcement until, and unless, a suspect is convicted of a crime.
Sady Swanson covers public safety, criminal justice, Larimer County government and more throughout Northern Colorado. You can send your story ideas to her at sswanson@coloradoan.com or on Twitter at @sadyswan. Support her work and that of other Coloradoan journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: 2015 Northern Colorado shootings suspect to face evidence hearing
