Man accused of murder in 2021 shooting claims he acted in self-defense

Attorneys for a Pueblo man accused of first-degree murder in connection to a fatal shooting in May 2021 claimed in court Wednesday that the man was acting in self-defense.

Kevin Woodard, 29, stands accused of fatally shooting 39-year-old Jason Carroll on May 2, 2021, following a confrontation inside of Carroll's residence in the 1000 block of Berkley Avenue.

The events leading to Carroll's death began two days before the shooting, Deputy District Attorney Anthony Marzavas said during opening statements in court Wednesday.

On April 30, 2021, Monica Paradise, Carroll's girlfriend and the mother of his newborn child, received a call from Samantha Shields, an old friend, who said she was in Pueblo and wanted to meet with Paradise. However, Marzavas said, Shields told Paradise that she had two men with her, whom Paradise told Shields not to bring to her home.

Carroll left very early the next morning, Marzavas said, and that morning Paradise received a text from Shields saying, "We are coming over."

Shields, her boyfriend — Woodard — and Quintin Sanders arrived at Carroll's apartment, which he shared with Paradise. According to Marzavas, Paradise told Shields that the men needed to leave before Carroll came home.

At around 9:45 a.m., Marzavas said Carroll came home from work and noticed the two men leaving the apartment, which sparked a fight between him and Paradise. Marzavas said Carroll left the house in a vehicle, but first had to remove Paradise from the vehicle.

Kevin Lilly, an attorney representing Woodard in the case, claimed in his opening statement that the fight between Carroll and Paradise was much bigger than Marzavas made it out to be, referring to a statement he claimed Paradise gave the morning after the shooting to Pueblo Police Detective Ron Gravatt.

In that statement, Lilly said, Paradise told Gravatt that it was "one of the biggest fights they'd ever had," and that Carroll had pushed or hit her to remove her from the vehicle. Lilly characterized that interaction as an act of domestic violence.

Lilly also stated in his opening statement that Carroll was "extremely jealous" of other men in the house.

Lilly said Paradise, upset from the fight, then threw out Caroll's clothing and other personal items, after which she contacted Shields, who returned to the home with Woodard and Sanders. Lilly claimed Paradise had stated she was "done with" Carroll, although Lilly said she later amended that statement.

At some point that night, Sanders left but Woodard and Shields remained. Carroll came home at 2:45 a.m. on May 2, according to Marzavas, and upon noticing his clothing was gone and that Shields and Woodard were in the home, grew angry.

At one point, Marzavas claimed, Carroll locked the door and stated something to the effect of "no one leaves until I get my things." Lilly stated that Carroll was "furious," and was cursing and threatening everyone present.

Lilly also claimed Paradise gave conflicting statements about whether two friends of Carroll's were present during the confrontation. Those friends later told police they were there at the time of the shooting, had witnessed a verbal confrontation between Carroll and Woodard and had seen Woodard shoot Carroll. They also stated Carroll had not made any threats or attacked Woodard.

Lilly also claimed that those present had not expected Carroll to return so early, if at all. He said those present had speculated if Carroll did return, it would be in a few days, as had previously happened when Carroll and Paradise fought.

Paradise previously testified at a preliminary hearing last year that she went into a backroom after telling Carroll she knew where his missing belongings were and would retrieve them. Paradise stated that when she returned from the backroom, she saw Woodard get up and wordlessly draw what she believed to be a firearm, saw a muzzle flash and heard a loud pop.

Carroll then allegedly exited the front door, collapsing on the front porch of his residence where he died from his injuries.

Woodard left the scene with Shields at that point, both attorneys stated. He was apprehended the following evening in Arapahoe County for an unrelated nonlethal shooting in Fremont County on the morning of May 3, as well as the deadly shooting of Carroll in Pueblo the previous day.

The shooting case in Fremont County is still pending, with a jury trial scheduled to begin Aug. 30 in 11th Judicial District Court, according to Fremont County court records.

Investigators from the Pueblo Police Department found no firearms on anyone present at the scene.

However, Lilly said there were two knives were found at the scene — a long, machete-like knife with a handle that had brass knuckles attached to it, which was found on the living room table, and a smaller knife found near Carroll's body.

Lilly stated that Paradise previously told detectives that Woodard looked "in shock" after shooting Carroll, and stated she could not see what Carroll was doing in the seconds before his death.

"There were up to six people in that room when Carroll was shot," Lilly said. "Not one will tell you exactly what Carroll was doing in the final moments."

Questions, comments, or story tips? Contact Justin at jreutterma@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @jayreutter1.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo homicide suspect claims self-defense in 2021 fatal shooting