Murder suspect, 14, likely will be tried as an adult
Repost
Denver
Rocky Mountain News newspaper:
December 15, 1999
Murder suspect, 14, likely will be tried as an adult
By Kevin McCullen
Denver Rocky Mountain News Staff Writer
BOULDER -- A 14-year-old Longmont student accused of killing his
adoptive
mother and grandmother will probably be tried as an adult, a prosecutor
said
Tuesday.
John Engel was taken to an adolescent facility at the Colorado Mental
Health
Institute at Fort Logan after a closed, hourlong hearing Tuesday in
Boulder
District Court. District Judge Dan Hale ordered him held without bond
until he
returns to court in January to be charged.
"I think if we had to make the decision today, we'd be filing on him as
an
adult," said Phil Miller, assistant Boulder district attorney.
Engel is being held for investigation of two counts of first-degree
murder,
attempted first-degree murder and first-degree assault in the slayings
of his
adoptive mother, Mary Elizabeth Reinschmidt-Engel, 56, and her mother,
Catherine Reinschmidt, 82, in their Longmont home Saturday.
John Engel, described by neighbors and classmates as intelligent and
musically
gifted, had been kept under a suicide watch since Sunday at the Colorado
Mental
Health Institute at Pueblo.
He was shackled and wearing white pants and a polo shirt when he
appeared in
court.
Engel's father, Tom Engel, did not attend the hearing Tuesday, but an
attorney
appeared for his family. Hale also appointed the Boulder public
defender's
office to represent the teen-ager.
Longmont police recovered a knife they allege the eighth-grader used in
the
slayings. His mother died of a stab wound and his grandmother died of
blunt
trauma wounds to the head. Police have not disclosed a potential motive.
December 15, 1999
----------------------------------------------
The following appears courtesy of the 12/15/99 online edition of The
Longmont
Daily Times-Call newspaper:
Engel may be charged as an adult
by Greg Avery
Daily Times-Call
12/15/99
BOULDER — A shackled and distraught-looking suspect in Saturday's
double
murder appeared in court Tuesday, and could be charged as an adult
despite his
age.
Deputies led John Engel, the Twin Peaks Charter Academy eighth-grader
accused of killing his adoptive mother and grandmother, into the
courtroom
minutes before district court Judge Daniel Hale closed the hearing to
all but
the attorneys involved and Longmont Detective Sharon Schumann.
Engel, 14, spent the prior three days in the Colorado Mental Health
Institute at Pueblo.
Tuesday's hearing was the teen's first court appearance since being
arrested
on suspicion of fatally stabbing 56-year-old Mary Elizabeth
Reinschmidt-Engel,
bludgeoning her 82-year-old mother Catherine Reinschmidt to death and
then
attacking his adoptive father, Thomas Engel, 47, with a hammer as he
returned
to the family's Creekside subdivision home from a morning jog.
After interviewing Engel and his father at length, police arrested
the teen
on a pair of first-degree murder charges, one attempted first-degree
murder
count and a first-degree assault charge.
Dressed in civilian clothes and with his hands cuffed to his waist,
Engel
was seated at the defense table and introduced to his attorney, Cary
Lacklen,
who asked Hale to close the hearing to public on the grounds that state
statutes allow it in juvenile cases.
After the hearing, Prosecutor Phil Miller said he leans toward
changing the
legal status of the case.
"If the decision were made today, we'd be filing on him as an adult,"
he
said.
But until the 10 Longmont police investigators finish their query
into the
case, a final decision cannot be made, Miller said.
Charges are scheduled to be filed against Engel on Jan. 6.
Until that time, he will be held at the Fort Logan mental hospital
for
juveniles. Hale ordered Engel held without bond.
It is unknown whether Engel will be psychologically evaluated there
to see
if he is fit to stand trial for the killings, Miller said.
Meanwhile, Longmont police continue to seek out a motive for the
slayings,
said investigations Cmdr. Tom Fixmer.
"We know what happened. We just don't know why," he said.
-----------------------------------------
The following appears courtesy of the 12/15/99 online edition of The
Boulder
Daily Camera newspaper:
Boy could face adult charges
Longmont double-murder suspect ordered held without bond
By Christopher Anderson
Camera Staff Writer
A Longmont boy arrested Saturday on suspicion of murdering his mother
and
grandmother will likely be charged as an adult, prosecutors said
following the
14-year-old's first court appearance.
During a closed hearing Tuesday, Boulder District Judge Dan Hale advised
John
Engel of his rights and ordered him held without bond and transferred to
Colorado Mental Health Institute at Fort Logan in Denver.
Engel also was appointed a public defender to handle his criminal case
and a
guardian ad litem, charged with advocating for the boy's best interests.
At a Jan. 6 court appearance Engel will likely be charged as an adult
with two
counts of first-degree murder and attempted murder and first-degree
assault,
according to Assistant District Attorney Phil Miller, who handles most
of the
county's criminal juvenile cases.
Engel was transferred Tuesday to the Boulder County Justice Center from
the
Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo where he had been on suicide
watch
since Sunday.
Longmont police arrested the boy at his family's home Saturday after
they found
his adoptive mother, Mary Elizabeth Reinschmidt-Engel, 56, stabbed in
the chest
with a knife and her mother, Catherine Reinschmidt, 82, with head
injuries
believed to have been caused by blows from a hammer. Both women were
pronounced
dead at the scene.
Engel's adoptive father, Tom, 47, a manager at the National Center for
Atmospheric Research in Boulder, told police the boy also struck him on
the
head when he returned home from jogging and found the bodies. Despite
his
injuries, Tom Engel was able to detain the boy until police arrived
about 9
a.m.
The Twin Peaks Charter Academy eighth-grader is described by neighbors
and
classmates as a gifted pianist and student.
Miller said the decision to file adult charges is not yet final, but "if
the
decision were made today, we would be filing on him as an adult."
Last year, Miller prosecuted Leon Gladwell, 17, as an adult for the
beating
death of his grandmother. Gladwell received a 48-year prison sentenced
that was
later reduced to 40 years.
Because of his age, John Engel will not face the death penalty.
If charged as a juvenile, Engel could be placed in the Colorado Division
of
Youth Corrections where he could be treated for mental health problems
and then
transferred to prison when he turns 18.
Boulder County Sheriff's deputies escorted Engel into Hale's courtroom
about 3
p.m. Dressed in a light-colored polo shirt, the boy shuffled in shackles
toward
the defense table, head bowed, and sat down.
He later looked over his shoulder to the rows of benches in the gallery.
His
father was not there.
At the request of Engel's public defender, Cary Lacklen, the judge
closed the
hearing to media and the public.
Police records, including search warrant affidavits, are not available
because
Engel is currently being treated as a juvenile defendant.
Memorial services for Reinschmidt-Engel and her mother, who was visiting
from
Austin, Texas, are still pending, said the Rev. Don Willette, of Spirit
of
Peace Catholic Church.
Willette said Tom Engel and other surviving family members have
requested
privacy during their grieving process, but he said the church is
considering
holding a separate community vigil in about one week.
Willette said Tom Engel is concerned about the welfare of his son.
"It's still his son," Willette said. "He has no desire to eliminate
(John) out
of his life."
December 15, 1999
--------------------------------------------
The following appears courtesy of the 12/14/99 online edition of The
Boulder
Daily Camera newspaper:
Murder suspect may go to court
John Engel of Longmont has been held at a mental hospital since Sunday
By Matt Sebastian
Camera Staff Writer
A 14-year-old Longmont boy suspected of killing two family members may
appear
in court this afternoon, following two days on suicide watch at the
state
mental hospital.
John Engel was transported to the Colorado Mental Health Institute in
Pueblo on
Sunday because officials feared he was suicidal following his arrest, a
source
said.
Boulder prosecutors would only confirm Monday that the eighth-grader,
who faces
two counts of first-degree murder, was sent to Pueblo "for evaluation."
Assistant District Attorney Phil Miller said psychiatrists have not been
asked
to determine whether Engel is competent to stand trial. Miller
acknowledged,
though, that competency could become an issue in the case.
Prosecutors won't say whether he will be charged as an adult.
Longmont police said Monday they still haven't determined what sparked
the
city's fourth and fifth homicides of 1999. All but one of those slayings
are
considered domestic violence killings.
Engel was arrested Saturday in connection with the murder of his
adoptive
mother, Mary Elizabeth Reinschmidt-Engel, and her mother, Catherine
Reinschmidt.
Police suspect the boy stabbed Reinschmidt-Engel, 56, in the chest with
a
kitchen knife and bludgeoned Reinschmidt, 82, with a hammer.
The boy allegedly attacked his adoptive father, Tom Engel, when the man
arrived
home from a morning jog about 9 a.m. He had been gone an hour.
Tom Engel subdued his son and found the two bodies in separate rooms on
the
first floor of the family's Indian Peaks Circle home, Detective Cmdr.
Tom
Fixmer said.
Engel's 16-year-old sister, also adopted, reportedly was
institutionalized in
the past year for allegedly threatening to kill her parents. She is at
an
out-of-state facility.
"Over 22 years of policing, one sees just about everything one can
imagine, and
this particular incident ranks among the worst I've experienced," Chief
Mike
Butler said Monday.
Prosecutors hope to advise Engel of his rights in Boulder District Court
either
today or Wednesday.
Miller declined to say whether Engel, a student at Twin Peaks Charter
Academy,
will be charged as an adult. History, though, would suggest he will be.
Boulder County's last juvenile murder suspect, 17-year-old Leon
Gladwell, was
charged as an adult and convicted of second-degree murder in the 1998
bludgeoning of his grandmother.
In 1986, Douglas French, 14, and Gregory Lund, 15, were charged as
adults in
the slaying of French's mother, Rita, at her Broomfield apartment.
A third suspect, 13-year-old Ryan Unruh, was too young to be charged as
an
adult. All three boys pleaded guilty to first-degree murder charges.
Longmont police, in the last year, have been unusually busy with
homicides, the
department's chief acknowledged Monday.
"We've had more than normal," Butler said. "Longmont has had its fair
share of
domestic violence, and unfortunately some of those cases either end up
with
serious injuries or fatalities."
Longmont has had five homicides this year, the same number recorded in
1997 and
1998 combined.
The deaths of Deanna Furlong and Bernadine Frost, along with the two
recent
slayings, are considered domestic cases, Butler said.
Furlong's husband has pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide.
And
police have said Frost's boyfriend is under suspicion in her death,
although he
has not been arrested.
Longmont police also have assisted in the investigation into the death
of
Natalie Mirabal, a Longmont woman whose body was found in Lefthand
Canyon in
September. Her husband is facing murder charges.
The only non-domestic homicide in Longmont this year came in February,
when a
17-year-old allegedly ran over and killed Aaron Richart after they had
been
fighting.
"If we were to have a higher level of violence between people who don't
know
each other, I think the community would be much more concerned," Butler
said.
"However I believe domestic violence makes an impact on our entire
community,
and I believe we should be more concerned about it."
December 14, 1999
----------------------------------------------
The following appears courtesy of the 12/13/99 online edition of The
Boulder
Daily Camera newspaper:
Boy, 14, sent to mental hospital
Police say hammer and knife used in Longmont slayings
By Margie McAllister
Camera Staff Writer
LONGMONT — A 14-year-old boy, arrested in connection with a double
homicide
Saturday, has been sent to the Colorado State Mental Hospital in Pueblo
for
evaluation.
Eighth-grader John Engel was arrested Saturday after his mother and
grandmother
were found dead in their Creekside subdivision home. Police said the two
women
died of wounds suffered in what they believe was a violent attack with a
hammer
and a knife.
Autopsy information released Sunday said the teen's adoptive mother,
Mary
Elizabeth Reinschmidt-Engel, died after being stabbed in the chest. Her
mother,
Catherine Reinschmidt, died of blunt trauma to the head, the Boulder
County
coroner said.
The bodies were found near the house's first-floor stairway.
"Both had numerous injuries," Longmont police Cmdr. Tom Fixmer said.
"(Reinschmidt) had a number of blows to the head. It was obviously a
violent
death."
Police found a hammer and knife in the garage that "were consistent with
the
injuries suffered," he said.
Reinschmidt-Engel, 56, and Catherine Reinschmidt, 82, of Austin, Texas,
were
killed between 8 and 9 a.m. Saturday. John Engel also is alleged to have
attacked his father, Tom, who apprehended the teen and called police.
The Twin Peaks Charter Academy eighth-grader was held in the Boulder
Juvenile
Detention Facility on Saturday then moved to the state mental hospital
Sunday.
"He won't face charges until evaluated and that should take a couple of
weeks,"
said Assistant District Attorney Bill Wise. If John Engel goes to court,
he
could face two counts of first-degree murder, one count of criminal
attempt to
commit first-degree murder and one count of first-degree assault. Police
were
called Saturday after Tom Engel, 47, came home about 9 a.m. from a
morning run.
"He was in the garage, removing his shoes when he was attacked," Fixmer
said.
Engel fought off his son, went inside to call the police and discovered
the
bodies of his wife and mother-in-law, who was on an extended holiday
visit.
Paramedics said both women were dead when they arrived at the
stucco-and-brick
house shortly thereafter.
Fixmer said police were unaware of a motive in the killings.
Tom Engel was treated for a head wound, then released to a brother, who
lives
out of town, said the Rev. Don Willette.
Willette saw Tom Engel at Longmont United Hospital's emergency room
Saturday
morning after the attack.
"He kept crying as they sewed him up and repeating, 'I love my wife. I
love my
kids. Why did this happen?'" Willette said. "That is a question we are
all
asking."
Next-door neighbor Mary Coyer was trying to answer that question Sunday
for her
son, Kevin, who often played street hockey and video games with John
Engel.
"We could not imagine this happening," Coyer said. "John is very polite,
always
takes his shoes off before coming in the door."
John and a 16-year-old sister were adopted from the Philippines,
according to
neighbors.
"Both of them came from unbelievably abusive backgrounds before they
were
adopted," said a former Twin Peaks mother, who did not want to be
identified.
"The Engels faced challenges with both, but Beth was a very kind,
devoted
mother."
Police were called to the house last year to handle a domestic
disturbance
involving the sister. She now lives out of state.
Beth Engel volunteered at Twin Peaks Charter Academy, sang in the Spirit
of
Peace Catholic Church choir and played flute during worship services.
She also
taught music.
"She was very warm," Coyer said. "If you were baking and needed a cup of
sugar,
Beth was the one you'd ask."
John Engel is a talented, intelligent boy who started playing the piano
age 3,
according to friends and neighbors.
"In the summer, we'd open our windows in the early morning and hear his
practices," Coyer said. "The music would float across the neighborhood
and it
was like listening to a record."
The Coyers will miss the recitals but, said Dane Coyer, the real loss
"will be
innocence. We'll miss the way the neighborhood was."
December 13, 1999