CO - Jessica Ridgeway, 10, Westminster, 5 Oct. 2012 - #23

[AmyC7547]

IMO I think he is a seasoned preditor. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see them link up and charge ARS with other sexual attacks (IE Boulder). Wasn't there a younger boy that a man tried to choke at Ketner Lake and the sisters scared him away? I'll try to link.

 

[AmyC7547]

IMO I think he is a seasoned preditor. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see them link up and charge ARS with other sexual attacks (IE Boulder). Wasn't there a younger boy that a man tried to choke at Ketner Lake and the sisters scared him away? I'll try to link.

http://www.denverpost.com/recommended/ci_21820103

 

[alexandra]

Ooh I wasn't thinking of tools or weapons ...( I was thinking of maybe his clothes?) but tools would be important for the case also.

Good thinking tlcox!

MOO but I don't know that he would have bothered to try to hide the weapon/tools. He still had remains in the crawl space...so why not put the weapon/tools there? I think he may well have planned on using them again....MOO

 

[absentia]

Thanks for your explanation. I guess I was confused wondering why they didn't say 'attempted rape'. In my mind I can see him perhaps dragging her to the ground, being on top of her and maybe he had an early emmision. Sorry for being graphic. Thus the dna.

I guess we will just have to wait and see. thanks again. jmo

well they are charging him for attempted murder for the Ketner Lake attempt, so he must've gotten a bit further than just placing a rag over her face.

 

[absentia]

http://www.denverpost.com/recommended/ci_21820103

seems like it would be AS, but how the shaved head? panty hose?
also, it was discussed if he was gay or not, but I think he was willing to have either male or female victims.

 

[DylansMom34]

IMO I think he is a seasoned preditor. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see them link up and charge ARS with other sexual attacks (IE Boulder). Wasn't there a younger boy that a man tried to choke at Ketner Lake and the sisters scared him away? I'll try to link.

The attempt on the boy was near Church Ranch Road and the Boulder Turnpike, so 3-4 miles away from Ketner Lake.

 

[AmyC7547]

The attempt on the boy was near Church Ranch Road and the Boulder Turnpike, so 3-4 miles away from Ketner Lake.

It was 1 mile away on the trail that leads to Ketner Lake

 

[enzeder]

People v Austin Sigg Charging Document
http://extras.mnginteractive.com/li...0_121657_People v. Sigg Charging Document.pdf

Austin Sigg charged as an adult in Jessica Ridgeway murder, Ketner Lake attack

Oct. 30 2012

<snip> One other item of note: The charges were put forward under a procedure known as "direct file." As our Alan Prendergast wrote in a March post on the subject, "Colorado is one of only four states in which district attorneys have enormous discretion to prosecute offenders in the fourteen-to-seventeen age range in adult court without a judicial hearing on the issue" via direct file.<snip>

http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/2012/10/austin_reed_sigg_jessica_ridgeway_case.php

Juveniles prosecuted as adults: Colorado's hardline approach not working, report says

Mar. 6 2012

<snip> "Re-Directing Justice," a report released today by the Colorado Juvenile Defender Coalition, takes a hard look at the statistics on juveniles in adult criminal court since a 1993 special legislative session widened the net for such prosecutions. Colorado is one of only four states in which district attorneys have enormous discretion to prosecute offenders in the fourteen-to-seventeen age range in adult court without a judicial hearing on the issue, a process known as "direct file."

The CJCD report indicates that while direct file was intended to be used in only the most serious cases, it's often employed in mid-range felony cases against teens who have no prior criminal record -- and disproportionately in cases involving defendants of color. And in the vast majority of those cases, the juveniles never get their case heard by a judge and jury; a whopping 95 percent of direct-file cases result in plea bargains. <snip>

http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/2012/03/juveniles_prosecuted_as_adults_colorado.php

 

[borndem]

He does have sociopathic tendencies. I too believe that he assumed that he was too clever to get caught. Had he not left DNA on the jogger (probably didn't know that he had), had thrown away the backpack (DNA evidence), the torso had not been found, and his cross (DNA at open space) had not been found, then he would have gotten away with it. He didn't expect any of the above to happen.

He admitted that remains would be found in the crawl space under the house. We can assume that they belonged to Jessica.

Did he murder her somewhere else, leave some remains at the culvert and then take some of the remains home? If so, why? If he was scientfically curious, he could have found a remote spot ... more remote than a culvert.

bbm

Good points all, otto. Yes, a sociopath, I certainly agree.

I would presume that since he was, according to his classmates, so smart in school, he figured he was also very smart in this awful crime, not expecting to be caught so soon and with such apparently solid evidence, etc. What sociopaths, and many criminals, forget or underrate is the years and years of investigative experience the detectives and forensic experts have. This crime may or may not have been his first murder, but he will get better at it if given a chance.

 

[BlueberryBird]

There seems to be a wisp of hysteria of sorts in trying to link AS to any and all unusual missing persons cases in Colorado. Is it because we want him to be as anomalously and shockingly evil as possible to make this case somehow more palatable?

I'm positive that he has done evil things before now, but is it likely that he would have ranged around the surrounding area to do his misdeeds? It seems that his known crimes have all occurred in a very tight zone around his usual haunts. I would expect it to go in reverse: future crimes would extend further out as a predator becomes more comfortable and more ambitious. I'm just speculating here; I don't really follow true crime much. This awful case just really grabbed me from the start and it won't let go.

My other thought is that if he did do things further away, did he change pattern and choose a neighborhood victim sure to be high profile specifically to be close to a major investigation?

I haven't read very much speculation on why he chose Jessica. It seems very odd to me, and I'm not convinced by the "opportunity" argument. We all know that missing persons cases aren't treated equally, and a lively blonde 10 yr old girl on her way to school in a safe middle class neighborhood is bound to make national news almost immediately, especially in this ago of amber alerts.

 

[BlueberryBird]

If the aunt is correct about Austin being treated for a addiction, I don't think it would have been court-ordered treatment since a addiction isn't officially recognized. If he did receive court-ordered treatment, it I believe it was likely due to some other official diagnosis. Of course, no one knows that it has anything to do with a juvenile record since that record is sealed. Treatment for a addiction could be something that a parent decided Austin needed. Austin could also have been treated for something else and his aunt was told he was being treated for a addiction or the aunt could be mistaken.

What if it were illegal and the sealed record has something to do with possession of such material?

Is there any correlation between the timing of his GED and the treatment or sealed record? If he was caught with material at school, I'd imagine that he would either be sent to a alternative school or expelled, depending on the offense and prior history. The school probably would not involve the police unless the material was illegal or illegally obtained.

 

[Ghostwheel]

Hiya! I'm NOT an attorney - but I am a paralegal here in Chicago. I obviously cannot speak to the specificity of the law in Colorado, but I can say, speaking as to your question (...'something that was sexual in nature had to have occurred otherwise it could have just been a robbery') - here's the relevant statute (IMO) below: And a bit of an explanation thereof.

STATUTE:
A person commits criminal attempt if, acting with the kind of culpability otherwise required for commission of an offense, he engages in conduct constituting a substantial step toward the commission of the offense. A substantial step is any conduct, whether act, omission, or possession, which is strongly corroborative of the firmness of the actor's purpose to complete the commission of the offense. Factual or legal impossibility of committing the offense is not a defense if the offense could have been committed had the attendant circumstances been as the actor believed them to be, nor is it a defense that the crime attempted was actually perpetrated by the accused.

IMO: The reasoning behind the attempted sexual assault charge is that he engaged in conduct that was a 'substantial step toward' the assault. What precisely that was, of course, is open to interpretation - although I think his (potential) attempt to remove clothes/grab at her/sexual comments made/etc would fall into this category easily.

I also have a feeling that they are charging him with anything they think will stick. For example, since he is charged with sexual assault of Jessica, it can be interpreted that he intended the same thing for the failed attempt victim. Mainly, if they can get all of the charges listed to stick, and get them to run consecutively, rather than concurrently, that lengthens the time he will be in jail. The longer the better.

 

[Dr. Know?]

With DNA linking the two crimes, murder of Jessica, sexual assault, dismemberment, confession, if he doesn't get 40 years then paint me red and call me a warning sign. Even after 40 years in prison, he's a sexually messed up 17 year old in mop, he'd come out scaring me as he would have a lot of time alone to think up stuff. He already has thought of & acted out on his sick wants. I may not make it at my age 40 more years, no I'm fine, just age facts. Please keep his release date in mind younger people, hopefully 40 years from now you will remember him. Don't let him out. tyvm.

 

[SapphireSteel]

We have something in here called "never to be released" - when the crime is so heinous a judge can order this.

 

[Dr. Know?]

We have something in here called "never to be released" - when the crime is so heinous a judge can order this.

Is it for juveniles too SS? tia

 

[SapphireSteel]

Is it for juveniles too SS? tia

I don't think it has ever been tested for a juvenile.

 

[Dr. Know?]

I don't think it has ever been tested for a juvenile.

Ours tend to play football...

There's a different population. US 311 million vs. Au 22 million. Roughly. We have crime. The US is larger land wise some but we sure do have a lot of people here compared to AU. Therefore, we have a lot more crime but it is freely transmitted via the internet and encouraged here to announce crimes. (maybe not Tucson though as other states I've followed on cases do) jmo

In the mid nineties, I went to work one day and there were cops everywhere blocking me from getting to work for a while. Turned out there was a body of a man. Never heard another word about it. Has always bugged me. Now neighborhoods are forming with alerts in 2012 (I started with ours about 8 years ago now). I love it as long as it's not intrusive and manipulating my life. We report crime, suspicions etc..with encouragement & direction from LE.

 

[SapphireSteel]

I suspect if something this terrible ever did happen in Aus, the juvenile concerned would likely be treated as "sick" rather than "evil".

I imagine he'd be shoved in some mental hospital for a while, probably back out walking the streets in 20 years.

Or maybe not. I honestly don't know, I'm racking my brains for a nasty juvenile crime and can't think of one.

:dunno:

 

[Dr. Know?]

I suspect if something this terrible ever did happen in Aus, the juvenile concerned would likely be treated as "sick" rather than "evil".

I imagine he'd be shoved in some mental hospital for a while, probably back out walking the streets in 20 years.

Or maybe not. I honestly don't know, I'm racking my brains for a nasty juvenile crime and can't think of one.

:dunno:

I've witnessed sick. I know what you mean. Per capita, AU is small compared to the US though.

We have two young criminals that I've really followed due to their sickness. There's many others but these two bother me.

Jared Loughner & this guy.

One's obviously mentally impared and maybe forever? And now AS, we don't know how he was behaving for the past few months or the past years. gah...

 

[GrainneDhu]

OT, but I have recently moved from Seattle (and previously SF) where the shelters have a 90% save rate, to Larimer county, CO, where the shelter has a 75% save rate. and some antiquated systems. it's really hard. 75% isn't that bad, except when you know it can be 90% and that the shelter isn't doing everything it can to reach that goal. it feels a little backwards sometimes here.

Both Seattle and San Francisco are doing a bit of a smoke and mirrors thing with their animal shelter stats. They use labelling to conceal the fact that they are defining dogs and cats as "unadoptable" that are in fact healthy and adoptable. They also practice differential acceptance, where animals that are not easily adoptable are not admitted and are referred to other programs... which are not "no kill."

I don't live in Colorado but I strongly suspect that it isn't so much that Colorado is "behind" but that there's a level of honesty there that the residents of Seattle and San Francisco are not forcing out of their respective shelter systems.