CO - Tim Watkins, 61, shot to death, Mount Herman, 14 Sept 2017 #1

[sumzero]

Thought so. The person who wrote the letter (purportedly DN) claimed to be the father of three children. Calls into question the genuineness of the letter, I guess.

 

[emptybottles]

Perhaps because of the numerous warrants and/or because he suddenly failed to register in any other Indiana county he got flagged by the system somehow. He is probably at this stage in May/June not so much high on their list, but when the sketch came out maybe ISP bumped it against mugshots of those with warrants and that the system had flagged, and he then became a priority. They didn't know where he had gone until the Co arrest because he failed to register there so didn't pop up anywhere else.

DN timeline.

7/24/2015 - Daniel Nations was arrested after deputies say he hid in the stall of a women’s restroom at a Ricker’s gas station on U.S. 31 and was caught peeping and pleasuring himself. Court documents show he made bail for those charges but skipped his court appearance. A warrant was issued for his arrest.
11/19/2015 - Daniel Nations fails to appear for court related to his public indecency charge. A warrant is issued for his arrest. (He later pleads guilty to the charge in an agreement; his one-year jail sentence is suspended.)
12/15/2015 - DN served his sentence from December 15, 2015, through January 27, 2016.
4/1/2016 - DN is convicted of a domestic battery felony on April 1st, 2016 in Morgan County and was sentenced to time in jail.
8/3/16 - DN arrested for driving with suspended license. He pleads guilty and is sentenced to pay $235 in fines and fees.
11/16/16 - DN is pulled over for a lane-change violation in Marion County by Indiana State Police. He's arrested on suspicion of possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia and driving without a license. He attends all court hearings until May 18, 2017, a warrant is issued for his arrest.

---

DN was in jail Dec 2016-to late Jan 2017. ??? one year suspended sentence? not clear

---

1/6/2017 - DN's brother is involved in a fight at a homeless camp and is beaten.
1/16/2017 - DN's brother dies in the hospital.
1/31/2017 - DN checks in.
2/7/2017 - DN checks in.
2/13/2017 - Delphi murders
2/14/2017 - DN checks in.
2/24/2017 - DN arrested for driving with suspended license and drugs. Daniel Nations was incarcerated in the Morgan County jail. DN spends several days/weeks in jail.
2/28/2017 - DN checks in. (from jail)
3/6/2017 - DN has Morgan Co dcourt appearance.
3/7/2017 - DN checks in.(in person)
3/14/2017 - DN check in.
3/21/2017 - DN checks in
3/29/2017 - DN appears in Morgan Co court.
4/4/2017 - DN checks in
4/10/2017 - DN registers in Johnson Co
4/12/2017 - DN registers new address at Greenwood Inn
4/25/2017 - DN arrested in Johnson Co for driving with a suspended license, and drugs.
4/25/2017 - KN bailed out DN (with a court date of July 17). KN left a FB review on the A-1 Bail Bonds website.
5/12/2017 - DN and KN move out of the Greenwood Inn.
5/14/2017 - KN posts on Hand Me Downs (Denver) FB page that they are in Colorado looking for free stuff (because they got robbed, lol. Spent all their money on bail and legal dope in Colorado is more likely.).
5/18/2017 - DN misses the Marion Co court appearance and a FTA is issued for the 11/16/16 arrest. Nobody notices because it is in a different county.
Obviously they were running from the law at this point.
DN did not check in or register in CO, in May. FB posts prove they were in Denver.
DN did not check in or register in CO in June. FB posts prove they were in Denver.
KN misses a court appearance around this time I believe also and an FTA warrant is issued for her.
6/4/2017 - KN leaves FB review on Ink Junkies website (Denver)
7/17/2017 - DN misses his July 17th court date in Johnson Co for the 4/25/2017 arrest. An FTA is issued.
7/17/2017 - BG sketch was released on July 17th. Pure coincidence.
7/18/2017 - a warrant is issued for DN FTA when the law finally figures out he hasn't registered in May or June.
This is the point at which the investigators contact the Greenwood Inn and find out DN has moved out.... 2 months earlier.
DN did not check in or register in CO in July.
DN did not check in or register in CO in August.
8/24/2017 - first known reports of menacing on Mt Herman Rd.
8/25/2017 - another menacing report on Mt Herman Rd or Monument. (unclear)
These reports are not made public by the El Paso County Sheriffs office.
DN did not check in or register in CO in September.
9/14/2017 - DN's brothers murderer pleads guilty to a lesser charge and recieves 16yrs in prison.
9/14/2017 - TW is killed.
The rest is pretty easy.

 

[Ember123]

WOW Empty Bottles! GREAT compilation of events! Thank you so much!
Do you know what time today's court activity will be?

 

[Shiressleuth]

Thought so. The person who wrote the letter (purportedly DN) claimed to be the father of three children. Calls into question the genuineness of the letter, I guess.

He is the stepfather of the third one as he is married to KN so technically he is correct when he says he is the father of three children.

 

[Shiressleuth]

From November 1.

http://gazette.com/bond-reduced-for...-herman-threats-investigation/article/1614394

Bond reduced for drifter linked to Mount Herman threats investigation






bbm

Seems it was because of excessive publicity. moo

I can see how that could influence a jury in the menacing case - at that stage it was still going to trial. But why not remove the order now? - he is still a POI.

 

[Shiressleuth]

WOW Empty Bottles! GREAT compilation of events! Thank you so much!
Do you know what time today's court activity will be?

Yes I agree.
@empty TY. Do you know why nothing has been heard about Tim's murder and why no reward for info or requests for tips?

 

[Jax49]

I can see how that could influence a jury in the menacing case - at that stage it was still going to trial. But why not remove the order now? - he is still a POI.

Was an order issued? I haven't followed that closely, but did see it would be addressed on Nov. 1. What happened at that hearing? TIA.

 

[Deleted member 102539]

WOW Empty Bottles! GREAT compilation of events! Thank you so much!
Do you know what time today's court activity will be?

bbm

Thank you for your work, empty bottles!
I'm only missing the 2/21/2017 check-in. Done or not.

 

[Shiressleuth]

Was an order issued? I haven't followed that closely, but did see it would be addressed on Nov. 1. What happened at that hearing? TIA.

No I don't know. I think there is still a gag order in place for the similarities and that is also why we are hearing nothing at all about this case. It's also why nothing is being mentioned about extradition too imo. DN also has this charge today so they wouldn't want the publicity for that reason too.
Eta. I just reread the Lance Benzel article I linked and it says the gag order is in place for all his cases, so that would include this one today as well. I probably should read anything I link properly. :smile:

Still :thinking: perhaps they don't want the child custody hearing to be affected by the fact he is a POI in a double murder. Would that be kept from such a hearing?

 

[kizzykat]

By Lance Benzel Updated: January 6, 2018 at 7:23 am • Published: January 5, 2018

Sheriff's detective Jason Darbyshire requested a prison sentence, citing what he characterized as Nations' escalating outbursts.

Nations has not been accused in Watkins' death, and the prospect of his impending release - with no sign of additional charges - raises questions as to whether the El Paso County Sheriff's Office is any closer to announcing a break in the homicide case.

"The appearance of inactivity does not mean no activity," sheriff's Lt. Cy T. Gillespie told the newspaper recently. Gillespie denied the case has gone "cold."

Watkins, of Palmer Lake, went missing on a bike ride Sept. 14 and his body was found three days later in a shallow grave near a popular hiking trail in Limbaugh Canyon, which Watkins was known to frequent.
Radigan said she had no updates about the hunt for his killer or killers.

Nations drew the notice of Indiana State Police, who confirmed they were evaluating whether he could be the man seen on footage recovered as part of an investigation into the April killings of two teen girls in Delphi, Ind. Indiana authorities later announced they could not tie him to the unsolved killings.

In a sign of continuing interest, however, Radigan [prosecutor] asked DuBois [4th Judicial District Judge] to lift a different judge's order prohibiting law enforcement officers from contacting Nations without his attorney present. The judge granted the order. Darbyshire [Sheriff's Detective] declined to say if Nations has been ruled out as a suspect.

(BBM + Brackets by me for clarity)
Side note: I do not recall IN LE saying they couldn't tie DN to Delphi murders, I recall them saying they couldn't include or exclude him. Entire article worth reading IMHO:
http://coloradosprings.com/plea-dea...nt-herman-hatchet-threat-case/article/1618455

 

[Shiressleuth]

https://www.websleuths.com/forums/s...Delphi-13-Feb-2017-73&p=13735511#post13735511

I am linking to a post by minazoe in the Delphi thread because this is what I think is going on and mz explains it well imo.

 

[kizzykat]

DN's docket for today:
1/24/18
10:00 AM
Appearance of Counsel
C102017M222
Clear Creek County
Courtroom F

https://www.courts.state.co.us/dockets/index.cfm#results

 

[Shiressleuth]

DN's docket for today:
1/24/18
10:00 AM
Appearance of Counsel
C102017M222
Clear Creek County
Courtroom F

https://www.courts.state.co.us/dockets/index.cfm#results

Does this mean DN will not be appearing? Just his attorney? So it may just be procedural stuff imo.

 

[kizzykat]

I was wondering if it meant just his attorney would be appearing. DN is still in jail as far as we know? (I don't have the app that some were using for tracking inmates.) Will be interesting to see what develops today.

 

[Jax49]

No I don't know. I think there is still a gag order in place for the similarities and that is also why we are hearing nothing at all about this case. It's also why nothing is being mentioned about extradition too imo. DN also has this charge today so they wouldn't want the publicity for that reason too.
Eta. I just reread the Lance Benzel article I linked and it says the gag order is in place for all his cases, so that would include this one today as well. I probably should read anything I link properly. :smile:

Still :thinking: perhaps they don't want the child custody hearing to be affected by the fact he is a POI in a double murder. Would that be kept from such a hearing?

BBM

Which article mentions a gag order? I'm not having any luck finding it. Tks.

ETA: I should have asked specifically for an article saying there is a gag order in place.

 

[Shiressleuth]

http://coloradosprings.com/drifter-...threats-charged-with-menacing/article/1613915

I guess the reason for no news on the TW murder must be because of the gag order originally mentioned in this article.

From November 1.

http://gazette.com/bond-reduced-for...-herman-threats-investigation/article/1614394

Bond reduced for drifter linked to Mount Herman threats investigation






bbm

Seems it was because of excessive publicity. moo

BBM

Which article mentions a gag order? I'm not having any luck finding it. Tks.

Both the article I linked and the one you linked mention the gag order.
One says it is to limit pre trial publicity and the other says it is a gag order relating to "his cases".

 

[Jax49]

Both the article I linked and the one you linked mention the gag order.
One says it is to limit pre trial publicity and the other says it is a gag order relating to "his cases".

"Eta. I just reread the Lance Benzel article I linked and it says the gag order is in place for all his cases, so that would include this one today as well. I probably should read anything I link properly. "

Re underlined statement.

Thank you, I see they mention a gag order but I'm not seeing that it is in effect. I'm not at all sure there ever was a gag order issued. And, if it was, is it still in place.

From the November article:

Nations' attorney, Jennifer Chu, asked the judge to impose a gag order in the cases against Nations after complaining that he has been linked by media accounts to crimes for which he hasn't been charged. The judge said she will review the request.

I'm still half asleep so if I'm missing that statement in the articles please share. TIA.

moo

 

[Shiressleuth]

http://coloradosprings.com/drifter-...threats-charged-with-menacing/article/1613915

I guess the reason for no news on the TW murder must be because of the gag order originally mentioned in this article.

From November 1.

http://gazette.com/bond-reduced-for...-herman-threats-investigation/article/1614394

Bond reduced for drifter linked to Mount Herman threats investigation






bbm

Seems it was because of excessive publicity. moo

"Eta. I just reread the Lance Benzel article I linked and it says the gag order is in place for all his cases, so that would include this one today as well. I probably should read anything I link properly. "

Re underlined statement.

Thank you, I see they mention a gag order but I'm not seeing that it is in effect. I'm not at all sure there ever was a gag order issued. And, if it was, is it still in place.

From the November article:



I'm still half asleep so if I'm missing that statement in the articles please share. TIA.

moo

The judge reviewed the request. You saw that bit. Based on the lack of any news that the judge denied it (which would have been reported presumably) it has clearly been allowed -hence no further news till all his current "cases" have been dealt with - including the custody case. We won't hear anything till that happens, because of this gag order. It would be too prejudicial - innocent till proven guilty. His lawyer is doing her job. Also, ISP don't want the similarities in the murder cases discussed in the media so it is serving two purposes.

Remember we didn't know about the order preventing LE talking to DN without his attorney present until they removed it so they don't report every order issued.
:cow:

 

[Jax49]

MSM coverage from early January.

http://www.kvor.com/2018/01/16/more-problems-for-daniel-nations/

 

[Daey34]

I know it’s off topic from this thread, but just a little bit. Did anyone else feel like this interview gave the impression that the Delphi murders are not close to being solved, and that DN was considered a distraction by the FBI? Or was that just my take on it?

http://fox59.com/2018/01/22/head-of...elphi-case-will-stick-with-him-as-he-retires/