CO CO - Kelsie Schelling, 21, pregnant, Pueblo, 4 Feb 2013 *Arrest*

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Link to law suit; plus grabbed a little bit of the text

Case 1:15-cv-00255-MJW Document 1 Filed 02/05/15 USDC Colorado

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLORADO
Civil Action No. 15-cv-255
LAURA SAXTON and
DOUG SCHELLING, as the surviving parent of Kelsie Schelling, decedent.

DONTHE LUCAS,
DAWN SHAY LUCAS,
DETECTIVE NEAL ROBINSON, in his individual capacity,
SERGEANT KEN ESPINOZA, in his individual capacity,
DEPUTY POLICE CHIEF ANDREW McLACHLAN, in his individual capacity, and
CITY OF PUEBLO, COLORADO,

COMPLAINT FOR DAMAGES AND JURY DEMAND

Plaintiffs, above-named, by and through its counsel, Lonn M. Heymann of Lonn
Heymann Law Firm, P.C., for their Complaint for Damages and Jury Demand hereby
allege as follows:

INTRODUCTION

1. This is a civil rights action for damages resulting from the deprivation of
civil rights under color of law. Kelsie Schelling’s parents, Laura Saxton and Doug
Schelling (herein referred to collectively as “Plaintiffs”), seek damages, declaratory, and
injunctive relief to remedy the deprivation of their right of access to courts by the City of
Pueblo, Colorado, Detective Neal Robinson, Sergeant Ken Espinoza, and Deputy Police
Chief Andrew McLachlan (herein referred to collectively as “Pueblo Police Department
Defendants”). Plaintiff’s also state a claim for wrongful death against Donthe Lucas, Sara
Lucas, Vivian Lucas, and Dawn Shay Lucas (herein referred to collectively as “Lucas

2. Plaintiffs seek relief for the Pueblo Police Department Defendants’
deliberate interference with their right to file a wrongful death lawsuit in Colorado
District Court, pursuant to Colorado Wrongful Death Act, C.R.S. § 13-21-201, et seq., by
refusing to open and investigate a criminal case arising from the death and disappearance
of Kelsie Schelling on or about February 5, 2013, in Pueblo, Colorado, by tampering with
or destroying evidence material to any wrongful death claim, by deliberately disregarding
compelling leads and evidence pointing to the homicide of Kelsie Schelling by Donthe
Lucas, with whom Kelsie Schelling had driven from Denver to Pueblo to discuss her
pregnancy with his child.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

9. Kelsie Schelling (herein “Kelsie”) was feloniously killed on or about
February 5, 2013 by Donthe Lucas. The Lucas Defendants conspired with or acted as an
Case 1:15-cv-00255-MJW Document 1 Filed 02/05/15 USDC Colorado Page 4 of 21

10. Kelsie’s disappearance occurred after she was “coaxed” into traveling to
Pueblo Colorado on February 4, 2013 by Donthe Lucas (Father of Kelsie’s child) and his
mother Sara Lucas. Kelsie attended medical appointment in Denver during the morning
hours of February 4 and confirmed that she was two months pregnant with Donthe
Lucas’s child. Communications between Kelsie, Donthe and Sara Lucas via text
messages and phones calls indicates that Donthe and Sara sent a plethora of messages
trying to convince Kelsie to travel to Pueblo before attending her Doctors appointment.
Kelsie however elected to wait and attended the medical appointment and confirmed she
was in fact pregnant before traveling to meet with Donthe and his mother. After the
Doctor’s appointment Kelsie returned to work and finished the work-day before traveling

11. At 11:20p.m. on the evening of February 4, 2013, Kelsie arrived at the
Wal-Mart at 4080 West Northern, Pueblo, Colorado to meet Donthe as directed by him.
Donthe was not at Wal-Mart and kept stalling for time through text messages before
directing her to another unknown location. At 12:32 a.m., in the early morning hours of
February 5, 2013 Kelsie sent Donthe a text message wanting to know where he was at,
complaining that she had been waiting for over an hour for him. That was the last
confirmed message that will indicate that Kelsie was alive. At 3:54 a.m. Donthe calls
Kelsie's cell phone. According to cellular tower pings and triangulation, Donthe and
Kelsie’s cell phones where in a very close proximity of each other and concluded that
Donthe had no reason to call the Kelsie’s phone. The theory is that Kelsie had been
murdered before this call was made and that the call was made to Kelsie’s phone to locate

12. Throughout the rest of the night various text messages were
communicated between Kelsie’s cell phone and Donthe’s cell phone. An analysis of text
verbiage from Kelsie’s phone after the 3:54A.M. time period, would indicate that the
messages where not being typed by Kelsie and the wording, spelling and type of verbiage
used was not close to the traditional verbiage used in previous messages. The content of
the messages made no sense and were out of context.

13. At 11:39 a.m., on February 5, 2013, Donthe Lucas travels to Canon
National Bank in Pueblo, driving Kelsie’s 2011 Black Chevrolet Cruze and withdraws
$400.00 cash from the ATM with Kelsie’s ATM card. Surveillance video clearly shows
that that Donthe Lucas is driving the car and that Kelsie is not present.

14. Donthe Lucas is then observed by surveillance video parking Kelsie’s car
at the Wal-Mart parking lot, located at 4080 West Northern Avenue in Pueblo. Donthe
exits the car and walks to the rear of the store where he was picked up by his mother,
Sara Lucas, and grandmother, Vivian Lucas. For the next 18 hours, Kelsie’s car sits in the
same parked position. No one else exits the car or enters the car until February 6, 2013 at
7:20 a.m. when an African-American male walks directly to the car from the same
walking path that Donthe Lucas takes to leave the car from the rear of the store. That
male was accompanied in another vehicle by Dawn Shay Lucas who acted as a lookout.
Case 1:15-cv-00255-MJW Document 1 Filed 02/05/15 USDC Colorado Page 6 of 21

15. Immediately following the evident criminal conduct toward Kelsie
Schelling, her family, Plaintiffs, filed a missing person’s report and sought the assistance
of law enforcement, including the Pueblo Police Department, and the media.

16. As of February 5, 2015, there is no record listed within the Pueblo Police
Departments online records data-base that Kelsie Schelling’s disappearance has ever been
logged as an open investigation assigned with a Pueblo Police Department case number.
There has never been a Pueblo Police Department Case File Number identified to
Kelsie’s family or to the Investigators that the family has privately hired.

17. The Pueblo Police failed to retrieve evidence from the Denver Police
Department to be submitted to the Colorado Crime Laboratory to obtain DNA
classification required to be submitted into a National data-base. Over a year later, these
items were not processed for DNA.

...

:bump:

Again, catching up on the threads and this is a fabulous post as to information to catch up.

Click on above to expand.

"14. Donthe Lucas is then observed by surveillance video parking Kelsie’s car
at the Wal-Mart parking lot, located at 4080 West Northern Avenue in Pueblo. Donthe
exits the car and walks to the rear of the store where he was picked up by his mother,
Sara Lucas, and grandmother, Vivian Lucas."

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6slmuQoMVK3QkkzZUwxWmJERHM/view?hc_location=ufi

Link to lawsuit

41. Although Sara Lucas was regularly late paying her rent prior to February
of 2013, she started to pay her rent promptly in February of 2013. In September of 2013,
Sara Lucas’s landlord received notice that the utilities in her rental home were turned off.
He found that the house was vacated and trashed. Sara Lucas appears to have vacated her
Pueblo residence some months prior to September of 2013 because maggots covered the
kitchen and soiled laundry throughout the house. The landlord arranged for the required
repairs, including replacement of the carpet. When the carpet was pulled up in the living
room, the bottom was soaked with a substance that appeared to be blood, with several
drops leading from the living room and pooling in a closet. The landlord notified the
Pueblo Police Department and offered to give them access to the house. Although the
police would not investigate the scene at that time, the landlord waited several weeks for
the Pueblo Police Department to collect the carpet. When the landlord offered to bring
the carpet to the Pueblo Police Department, he was instructed not to bring the carpet.
Unaware of the entire matter that is the subject of this case, the landlord eventually
disposed of the carpet. After Detective Robinson contacted the landlord in January of
2014, the Pueblo Police Department decided not to conduct a further investigation on the
alleged blood found in Sara Lucas’s residence, although traces of blood could plausibly
be located to this date. The Pueblo Police Department Defendant’s shocking indifference
to securing the carpet or remaining biological traces at the former residence of Donthe
and Sara Lucas demonstrated the intentional abandonment of clearly inculpatory
evidence that is material to any criminal investigation of the disappearance and death of
Kelsie Schelling and to Plaintiffs’ wrongful death case against the Lucases
 
Last edited:
:bump:

Again, catching up on the threads and this is a fabulous post as to information to catch up.

Click on above to expand.

"14. Donthe Lucas is then observed by surveillance video parking Kelsie’s car
at the Wal-Mart parking lot, located at 4080 West Northern Avenue in Pueblo. Donthe
exits the car and walks to the rear of the store where he was picked up by his mother,
Sara Lucas, and grandmother, Vivian Lucas."

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6slmuQoMVK3QkkzZUwxWmJERHM/view?hc_location=ufi

Link to lawsuit

41. Although Sara Lucas was regularly late paying her rent prior to February
of 2013, she started to pay her rent promptly in February of 2013. In September of 2013,
Sara Lucas’s landlord received notice that the utilities in her rental home were turned off.
He found that the house was vacated and trashed. Sara Lucas appears to have vacated her
Pueblo residence some months prior to September of 2013 because maggots covered the
kitchen and soiled laundry throughout the house. The landlord arranged for the required
repairs, including replacement of the carpet. When the carpet was pulled up in the living
room, the bottom was soaked with a substance that appeared to be blood, with several
drops leading from the living room and pooling in a closet. The landlord notified the
Pueblo Police Department and offered to give them access to the house. Although the
police would not investigate the scene at that time, the landlord waited several weeks for
the Pueblo Police Department to collect the carpet. When the landlord offered to bring
the carpet to the Pueblo Police Department, he was instructed not to bring the carpet.
Unaware of the entire matter that is the subject of this case, the landlord eventually
disposed of the carpet. After Detective Robinson contacted the landlord in January of
2014, the Pueblo Police Department decided not to conduct a further investigation on the
alleged blood found in Sara Lucas’s residence, although traces of blood could plausibly
be located to this date. The Pueblo Police Department Defendant’s shocking indifference
to securing the carpet or remaining biological traces at the former residence of Donthe
and Sara Lucas demonstrated the intentional abandonment of clearly inculpatory
evidence that is material to any criminal investigation of the disappearance and death of
Kelsie Schelling and to Plaintiffs’ wrongful death case against the Lucases

Link does not work for me??
 
I have been away from this thread for so long, I did not get the significance of the hair. This morning I took the time to start of the very very beginning of this thread and going through it entirely. Now I understand the significance of the hair. And why a post from June 4th, 2014 above-mentioned the mother.

"In an interview with The Denver Post, Saxton revealed many details that have never been discussed publicly.

For example, she explained that the video showed Lucas climbing out of her daughter’s car and walking to the back of the car and climbing into his mother’s vehicle.

The car remained overnight. At 7:20 a.m. the next morning a man wearing sunglasses, gloves and a hoodie came out from behind the Walmart, walked directly to Kelsie’s car, opened the door, climbed in and immediately drove away."

Thank goodness for this site where I can go back from a start and pick up on stuff that I totally had missed because I have not been following it and got sidetracked.

Denver woman disappears after sending ultrasound to boyfriend

ETA finding @spamelope post, who kept This Thread updated so much thank you! You are a very good soul

Why would his mothers hair be in the back of Kelsie's car unless she helped her son put Kelsie's body in the back or at least that's what I think happened...
 
Why would his mothers hair be in the back of Kelsie's car unless she helped her son put Kelsie's body in the back or at least that's what I think happened...

Yes, now that I have read the entire thread I better understand. I had been away from the case for a long time and needed to review the entire thing to understand.

I thought it was very interesting on one of the two YouTube videos that I found on this thread (that interviewed the mother on the steps outside of her apartment) that his mother said that she had only met her once, and she talked about a key over her heart that that had her son's name on it. That was such a weird thing to say - and after learning the hair was in the trunk, it made me go h m m m m.

This is the post that has the link to the two interviews of the mom

I hope they question both boys but they might just ask about the robbery. Sara Lucas, the mother of Donthe and Duschon claimed that they harassed Duschons twin sister, who has her Facebook under the name Des Shantel when she was in trouble for truency. Sara claimed they said she would be charged with murder and kidnapping trying to scare and harass her child.

Sara also admitted to failing a lie detector test. She doesn't sound or look like she's doing too well. Hopefully what they did and have to keep secret is taking its toll.

Here are the links to the two interviews, a concerned citizen conducted with Sara. They stood outside her house and protested in the street until she finally came out and spoke. The 2nd interview is more telling imo.



ETA re the mother's interview- on the special last night on the Oxygen Channel, that covered the Watts case, Tammy the FBI agent said that on a polygraph test that + 2 or above is truthful, less than a -4 is lying, and the mother said in one of the interviews here that she got a -8 on her polygraph.

Oh yeah, in addition she said that she doesn't shoplift, she doesn't rob, she doesn't lie Etc. This was before the robbery charge she pled guilty to I guess LOL
 
Last edited:
Yes, now that I have read the entire thread I better understand. I had been away from the case for a long time and needed to review the entire thing to understand.

I thought it was very interesting on one of the two YouTube videos that I found on this thread (that interviewed the mother on the steps outside of her apartment) that his mother said that she had only met her once, and she talked about a key over her heart that that had her son's name on it. That was such a weird thing to say - and after learning the hair was in the trunk, it made me go h m m m m.

This is the post that has the link to the two interviews of the mom



ETA re the mother's interview- on the special last night on the Oxygen Channel, that covered the Watts case, Tammy the FBI agent said that on a polygraph test that + 2 or above is truthful, less than a -4 is lying, and the mother said in one of the interviews here that she got a -8 on her polygraph.

Oh yeah, in addition she said that she doesn't shoplift, she doesn't rob, she doesn't lie Etc. This was before the robbery charge she pled guilty to I guess LOL

Thanks for posting the you tube interviews. I remember them but will try to rewatch them during the week.

Yeah, his mother claims to not have seen Kelsie more then once, yet we see her at Walmart when her son moves Kelsie's car. Now we have her hair in the back which proves she was lying. Like I've said, I wonder if she'll get arrested too at some point...
 
Thanks for posting the you tube interviews. I remember them but will try to rewatch them during the week.

Yeah, his mother claims to not have seen Kelsie more then once, yet we see her at Walmart when her son moves Kelsie's car. Now we have her hair in the back which proves she was lying. Like I've said, I wonder if she'll get arrested too at some point...

I recall when LD was initially arrested over an unrelated robbery incident that also involved his brother and mother-- at one point all three of them were in jail.

I always believed had they been able to hold mother longer she would have said something to incriminate herself in KS murder. It was when the grandmother was called in to testify that they started closing the court hearings and the delays became sport.

MOO

Kelsie Schelling's ex-boyfriend held on $100,000 bond for robbery charges
 
Just started following this case, what evidence do they have on him? How do they know she's dead without a body?
 
Just started following this case, what evidence do they have on him? How do they know she's dead without a body?

See if you can find her mothers original lawsuit against LE. She lists a bunch of stuff with Kelsie's car that was not processed. If I remember correctly, I believe his mothers hair was found in her car too.
 
Looks like the case is weak, has there ever been a.murder conviction without a body in the US where the state had none of: 1. Large amount of blood suggesting death 2. Confession 3. Witness of murder 4. Peices of body suggesting death
 
Hi all. Have been so invested in the Gannon Stauch case I haven’t had a chance to pop over here yet.

Just wanted to ask: has anybody checked NamUs or The Doe Project, and checking UIDs against Kelsie’s description? I just can’t shake the idea that her remains might be out there, unidentified. Especially if DL took her out of state.

Has anybody done this yet? Just wanted to check in before I start digging.
 
I saw a segment tonight on Court TV. They plan to cover this case when the trial starts.

Good to know that Court TV will be tracking the case.

We need to identify find which Southern Colo reporters will be covering her trial as there are no cameras/live streaming of criminal trials in Colorado courtrooms. It's trial by Twitter.
 
Donthe Lucas’ trial pushed back because of coronavirus


PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- It's been a series of delays in the murder trial of Donthe Lucas, the Pueblo man accused of killing Kelsie Schelling, and now the coronavirus impact on local courts is causing yet another delay.

Instead of starting on May 5, Lucas' trial is tentatively set to start on Sept. 22, according to court records. It's expected to take about five weeks.

The trial has continually been reset due to a variety of issues after originally being set for April 2019.

Donthe Lucas' trial pushed back because of coronavirus - KRDO

Schelling disappeared on Feb. 4, 2013, after traveling from Denver to Pueblo to visit Lucas, the alleged father of her unborn child. Since then, Schelling has not been seen or heard from.

Despite Schelling's body not being found, prosecutors filed a murder charge against Lucas.
 
The suspect, mother, and brother were all arrested by Dec 2017 for a Sept 2017 robbery that happened outside of the home the Lucas family was living in at the time. Donte was arrested at the Denver International Airport on Nov 13, 2017, and has been in jail ever since. He was charged with Kelsie's murder on Dec 1, 2017, while he was already in custody.

Mom and brother have already been sentenced (after pleading guilty) for the 2017 robbery charges but the robbery matter is still pending for Donte.

I'd feel better if I knew that the alleged murder of Kelsie still had prison time to face in the event he's not found guilty later Sept/Oct for Kelsie's murder.

However, I'm also afraid that even if Donte pleads guilty to the 2017 robbery charge (prior to his murder trial), and receives 3-year sentence (as mom and brother received), that he will be given credit for the time he's been held in jail. :eek:

I've had much anxiety over this case! So sorry for KS mother and her family and friends that have waited more than 7 years for justice.

MOO

Sara Lucas gets 3 years in prison for Pueblo robbery
 
Good to know that Court TV will be tracking the case.

We need to identify find which Southern Colo reporters will be covering her trial as there are no cameras/live streaming of criminal trials in Colorado courtrooms. It's trial by Twitter.

I hope someone covers it, I know Sam K originally said he had hoped to cover it, but he moved. It might be hard for people to cover it because of COVID, could be limiting who is let in.

This is one of the first cases here I really got invested in. Everything has been so hush hush from the start. We really know nothing on what kind of evidence they have against DL. Pueblo PD really dropped the ball from the start with this one, luckily CBI got involved a few years ago.

Also I saw that Kelsie's mom said the other day that she expects it to be pushed back again :( It's been pushed back so many times that this is just getting ridiculous at this point.
 
I hope someone covers it, I know Sam K originally said he had hoped to cover it, but he moved. It might be hard for people to cover it because of COVID, could be limiting who is let in.

This is one of the first cases here I really got invested in. Everything has been so hush hush from the start. We really know nothing on what kind of evidence they have against DL. Pueblo PD really dropped the ball from the start with this one, luckily CBI got involved a few years ago.

Also I saw that Kelsie's mom said the other day that she expects it to be pushed back again :( It's been pushed back so many times that this is just getting ridiculous at this point.
Id be surprised if they are able to convict, they're getting bullied into this court room because of lawsuits by the mom. You normally need one or more of this type of evidence for murder case without a body: 1. Confession i.e. Chistiansen case 2. Large amount of blood i.e. Dulos/ Stauch 3. Eye witness i.e. Frazee 4. Bone fragments i.e. Wiodchipper murder.

Doesn't look like LE hasn't any of these. I'd be surprised if they have it. I'm very interested in the arrest warrant.
 
Id be surprised if they are able to convict, they're getting bullied into this court room because of lawsuits by the mom. You normally need one or more of this type of evidence for murder case without a body: 1. Confession i.e. Chistiansen case 2. Large amount of blood i.e. Dulos/ Stauch 3. Eye witness i.e. Frazee 4. Bone fragments i.e. Wiodchipper murder.

Doesn't look like LE hasn't any of these. I'd be surprised if they have it. I'm very interested in the arrest warrant.

We literally don't know what they have though. They could have 1,2,3 for all we know at this point. There's been a lot of closed door hearings with DL's grandma (where he lived), for all we know she could be the smoking gun. He already admitted to lying about taking her to the hospital and about moving her car at the prelim hearing, so who knows what else he has admitted to. I imagine they have a lot of evidence that we don't know about or there's no way they'd attempt to take this case to court with a first degree murder charge.

But yes of course if they don't have any of the above then a conviction will be hard.
 
Donthe Lucas trial for murder of Kelsie Schelling pushed back indefinitely

By Kasia Kerridge
Published: Sep. 1, 2020 at 11:57 AM PDT|Updated: 5 hours ago


PUEBLO, Colo. (KKTV) - The murder trial for Donthe Lucas will be pushed back indefinitely.

11 News confirmed with 10th Judicial District Attorney Jeff Chostner there is an issue involving the Colorado Supreme Court. Chostner did not specify what the issue was, but said it will overtake the September trial date.

This comes after his trial has already been pushed back four times previously. Lucas’ most recent trial date was scheduled for this month.

Chostner told 11 News, the judge “simply vacated the current date, and we will re-set once the case comes back from the Supreme Court, but no one knows when that will be.”

[..]

Donthe Lucas is charged with the disappearance of his then-girlfriend Kelsie Schelling. Schelling was pregnant at the time. Schelling went missing in February of 2013 when she was heading to Pueblo from Denver to see Lucas about her pregnancy. Schelling’s body still has not been found.

Originally, the trial was scheduled for April of 2019, but new evidence was found in the case last summer. Lucas was arrested in December 2017 while in jail on an unrelated robbery charge. Lucas pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in August 2018.

Right now, there is no new trial date scheduled.
 
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