Torres said Lucas never took the car to Denver. Follow below: 4 p.m.: In a bombshell revelation, prosecutors called a former Pueblo County Jail inmate who claims that Donthe Lucas said investigators would never find Kelsie Schelling's body. Kelsie's father Doug Schelling received a strange text from his daughter when he tried to check on her. @KOAA. Police say her death does not appear to be related to the trial, but instead a possible result of domestic violence. There should be every effort made to go in there and pull her out of there if that's where she ended up being, Saxton said. In an intake questionnaire at the doctor, Tatesaid there was a question asking whether the respondent hasone sexual partner or many. Scheels says, yes! He said they got in an argument and he exited her vehicle, but Schelling stayed in Pueblo that night. Ive been here for over an hour just waiting.. When the time came, Saxton even took the stand against her daughters killer. Laura Saxton fought tirelessly for justice in the case of her missing pregnant daughter. Saxton said she remembered asking investigators if these items were in the vehicle when it was recovered and she was told they were not. I felt like he did genuinely develop feelings for me and did genuinely fall in love with me. It's a sad situation that didn't have to end up like this if he had just let her come home.. Asked if he believed Schelling orchestrated her own disappearance, Binet said, No. Lucas was sentenced to. The prosecution also used surveillance video of Lucas alone at the Walmart and cell phone data showing his location indicated he had been driving in Schellings car after she vanished. Suspecting foul play, police accelerated the investigation. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Months turned to years without answers. Love you Donthe.. It was tense because the time was ticking away, and the tires were turning on the road, Chostner said. Michelle Chostner, the lead prosecutor in Schellings case, confirmed that investigators interviewed Martinez but could not comment on anything that wasnt admitted in trial. You couldn't see what kind of vehicle, you couldn't tell who was in the car, Pueblo police Capt. Schelling left work shortly after 8:40 p.m. and drove two hours to see Lucas in Pueblo. Lucas was arrested on Feb. 15, 2013 for felony identity theft for using Schellings debit card. Copyright 2021 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Lucas also told police that he and Schelling went to the Walmart to get snacks before she made the drive back to Denver. Therefore, after many delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he stood trial for the same in early 2021. Kelsie Schelling (credit: CBS) When she disappeared in February 2013, Schelling was pregnant and was reportedly travelling from Denver to Pueblo to talk to Lucas about it. He has this way about him that makes you feel so sorry for him. Lucas Defense: This is a reach the biggest reach in Pueblos history.. Saxton rallied the Pueblo community and led her own searches for her missing daughter around the city. 21-year-old Kelsie Schelling was two months pregnant when she drove from Denver to Pueblo to see her former boyfriend Donthe Lucas. Then, in December 2020, the murder trial was set to start on Jan. 25, 2021. Kelsie Schelling was over the moon. Roxann Martinez was shot and killed at the intersection of E. Kenyon Dr. and S. Wabash St. at 11 p.m. on Feb 25. It was discovered during the trial Wednesday morning that an upcoming witness in the trial was found shot to death last week in Denver. Editor's note: A previous version of this story said Rivera testified that Lucas specifically admitted to killing Kelsie Schelling. When police questioned Lucas, he told them that the morning after they met, he took Schelling to the Parkview Medical Center and hinted she had a miscarriage there. Donthe Lucas (credit: Pueblo Police Dept. She gave an emotional and powerful testimony emphasizing to the jury her daughter Kelsie really wanted to have her child. Chostner says there was more evidence to work with in 2017 versus 2013, and enough that gave him the confidence to press charges. How to Build a State? A recording of their conversation was introduced as evidence. Sinnema testified that Lucas never mentioned: leaving Schellings vehicle at Walmart; meeting Schelling on a side-street of his grandmothers home; Schelling staying in his home that night on Manor Ridge Drive; or using Schellings debit card. During the trial, investigators had revealed troubling information about Schellings possible whereabouts. Lucas appears to have asked Schelling to come down to Pueblo after she got off work the evening of Feb. 3, and expresses disappointment she will not drive down. Police found surveillance video showing Lucas driving her car at an ATM 12 hours after Schelling arrived in Pueblo. Now, follow one mother's crusade for justice in this true crime investigation. We did not have a body that would've told us location No modus operandi of how she died. Text messages show he first instructed her to go to a specific Walmart on the south side of town. Their lock to their front gate into the dump had been tampered with., It caught my attention when I grabbed the lock in my hand, and I said, Well, somebody tried to get in here overnight, Guadalupe Maestas, a worker at the landfill, told 20/20. Thats what came to my mind right away.. Four days passed after Schelling drove to Pueblo on the night of Feb. 4. Waiting for your permission to load facebook comments. As he told Sinnema, Lucas told Binet the last time hed seen Schelling was Tuesday, Feb. 5. If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. In December 2017, almost four years after Schelling's disappearance, Lucas was charged with her murder. For a full recap of Day 10 in the trial, click here. I plan to make things work. In partnership with Documentary films The Invention of Marxism: How an Idea Changed Everything Christina Morina (Professor of Modern and Contemporary History, Professor of Modern and Contemporary History, Bielefeld University) . The Pueblo landfill said there was evidence of a car at the dump and Lucas' cell phone data suggest he could have been there the night of Feb. 4, 2013. Suhr testified that Lucas had admitted to her that he was the mysterious figure seen picking up Schellings car after it sat overnight in a Walmart parking lot and that he had also dropped the car off at the hospital. KOAA News5 on your time, streaming on your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and AndroidTV. I told you Id give you everything you need when you get here so u dont need that job.. Season 1. You ready for a smoke and a pancake?, Hell yeah. I have found that if you do it the right way, justice finds its own way. The trial was then scheduled for July 2019, but Lucas' lawyers said they had new scientific evidence and needed more time to review it. Fixed: Release in which this issue/RFE has been fixed.The release containing this fix may be available for download as an Early Access Release or a General Availability Release. I never want to give up on trying to bring her home. she said. There's no body, no murder weapon, no crime scene. Lucas insisted to the man, who later testified about the incident in court, that he wouldn't be convicted of that crime but in the end, it seemed to seal his fate. The Economic Update with Tatiana Bailey Ph. The defense also had Walker confirm that she could not tell the jury whether the trends she discussed were present in Lucas and Schellings relationship and could not say if any specific acts of domestic violence took place between them. It's not guilty. So it's a strong message.. I know that that is a long shot than anybody [sic] would even try to help us with that., Saxton said the thought of her daughters body being left there is just the worst possibility to me, because he discarded her like garbage. She filed a lawsuit against the Pueblo Police Department in the years after 2013 as the frustration grew from a lack of answers. At 11:14 p.m., he changes plans and tells Schelling to meet him, where you usually do, seemingly referring to an intersection near his grandmothers home where Schelling had picked him up on previous occasions. There was no sign of her in the apartment, and that's when we called the Denver police.. He was sentenced immediately after the verdict by the judge to life in prison without parole. She said based on her evaluation, Schelling was, in fact, pregnant at the time of her disappearance. The Parkview Medical Center, however, did not have any record of Schellings supposed visit. Chieftain reporter Zach Hillstrom can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @ZachHillstrom, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Hear from those closest to the victims, including family, friends, local journalists and law enforcement. One text from Schellings phone to Lucas at 11:56 a.m., said After u get that money pick me up and stay out of my life!, Another, sent at 11:59 a.m., said, You can bring my car to Denver tonight. Then, he proposed to her. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Ultimately, after hearing the prosecutors say that the most intimate and personal way to extinguish a life is wrapping two hands around a persons neck gripping their trachea, restricting their air, restricting their oxygen, the jury agreed with their arguments. Schelling tells him she has responsibilities and cant just skip work. Im very grateful that our paths crossed and God took us to this moment.. Family photo. Megan Lancaster, then 25, had disappeared just months after Schelling. He said Lucas confessed to the killing. In February 2013, Kelsie Schelling was very happy to find out she was eight weeks pregnant, according to ABC News. On February 4, 2013, Schelling went to a local Walmart in the town of Pueblo, Colorado, where she planned to meet up with Lucas and tell him about her new pregnancy but according to interview footage taken in 2017, Lucas told investigators that the night had taken a different turn (via Fox 21 News). She said shed have to think about it and drove home. And I can get her back, Kadie Lancaster told 20/20. What if he really does have her and I can bring her home?. Morning Forecast But soon, Kelsie started confiding in her friends that her boyfriend was physically abusive and exhibited other toxic behavioral traits. He inferred that Schelling had lied about being pregnant numerous times in the past to try to, make me stay with her and keep talking to her or whatever.. The. Messages on Schelling's phone showed she texted Lucas that she was pregnant, and his replies indicated he was unhappy. The Denver Police Department has said that they don't believe her death was connected to the trial. She confirmed for us Donthe admitt[ed] it was him in the Walmart surveillance video that [he] had dropped Kelsie's car off and then returned the next day and picked it up, Torres said. Although some initially believed it seemed suspicious that Martinez died just before her testimony, investigators determined the shooting was completely unrelated to the trial. The first search warrant was executed at the suspects home on Feb. 14a period of 11 days, or 264 hours. At the end of the day, I said, I think we have enough here to go forward. It was just a special bond that we formed. Learn more about Dan here. Lucas pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in August 2018. He said theyd spoken early that morning when Schelling arrived in Pueblo and their interactions continued through the following morning. Court rules state that no outside communication can happen inside the courtroom, but we will update this article with new details when they're available. Suhr also testified that Lucas would break down and cry whenever he talked about Schelling he had nothing to do with her disappearance. The prosecution asserts Kelsie was killed sometime between midnight the night of Feb. 4 and before 3 a.m. the morning of Feb. 5. Romantic interest of Lucas' retakes stand: Lauren Suhr, who now lives in Washington but lived in Colorado Springs in April 2016, took the stand virtually again Wednesday morning. It made me sick. At 9:56 p.m., she texts again, saying, Almost there. Sinnema said Lucas also did not mention dropping Schellings vehicle off at St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center on Feb. 7. He reportedly asks what the doctors told her and she replies that everything looked good and that her due date was Sept. 13. Either make things work with me or walk away.. The young woman had driven down to Pueblo on February 4, 2013, to meet with her boyfriend, Donthe Lucas, after sharing the news of her pregnancy, never to be seen or heard from again. Lucas said hed informed Schelling during their visit that he did not want to be in a relationship with her. If the offender is used to having the victim take care of them and be focused on them and dancing around to be sure the offender is doing OK, if now, suddenly, thats not happening, that can lead to an escalation, Walker said. It was now up to the jury to make a decision. NR | 03.26.21 | 01:20:44 | CC more episodes 42:55 I just thought, What if shes been out there and I couldve found her and we havent?. The Version table provides details related to the release that this issue/RFE will be addressed. No one had been charged two years after Schelling disappeared and, because authorities had not found a body, it was still classified as a missing persons case. Laura Saxton Her last confirmed text message was sent to Lucas at 11:18 p.m. Schelling, 21, went missing in 2013 after driving from Denver to Pueblo to see Lucas. We wont speak of it again. Resolved: Release in which this issue/RFE has been resolved. In August of 1995, a local film crew in Arlington, Texas was doing a documentary on single mothers in welfare trying to get jobs. He said he wouldnt be surprised if she was out in California already or was on her way there. As a mom, I couldnt even begin to fathom knowing that your childs out there or not out there, Suhr told 20/20 in an exclusive interview. In December 2019, the judge postponed the trial until May 2020, as a new lawyer joined the defense team. Schelling, and Hegel. They never found anything on those searches. Lucas and Schelling continue to exchange texts throughout the day of Feb. 4, beginning before her OBGYN appointment. In the following days, her parents and friends said Schellings texts continued to contain uncharacteristic punctuation and curt responses. Her friend was also in communication with Schelling's mom, Laura Saxton. One year since the disappearance of Colorado woman Kelsie Schelling, her family continues to grow desperate to find her and is asking the public for help. 3 p.m.: Laura Saxton, Kelsie Schelling's mother, recalled the last time she saw her daughter, which was eight years ago as of Tuesday. Synopsis:Kelsie Schelling disappears one night after leaving work, leading family and investigators on a four-year hunt to find the pregnant 21-year-old; cell phone records reveal what happened to . Help Find Kelsie/Facebook. He believes her murder does have to do with the #DontheLucas trial, even though Denver police have said they believe there's no connection. Police say that Lucas cell phone data shows he couldve been at the landfill that night. From the. Schelling's body has never been found. Kelsie Schelling went missing in Pueblo, Colorado back in February 2013 after she went to tell her boyfriend Donthe Lucas that she was pregnant Schelling's body has never been found but she. She did say that he called once from jail, but they ultimately never spoke again. Schellings car was discovered more than a week after her disappearance without a trace of the young expectant mom. They dated on and off while there, and after two years, they both decided to leave the school. It is still an open case. -- It's been over eight years since Laura Saxton's 21-year-old pregnant daughter Kelsie Schelling vanished. She wanted to see what I was going to do if I was going to leave her, try to help her, a whole bunch of crazy stuff., He said Schelling visited him around 2 a.m.Feb. 5, after shed driven to Pueblo and met him near his grandmothers house. In the texts, Lucas implies Schelling had asked him to come to her OBGYN appointment the following day the day of her disappearance saying he wanted to go with her and noting it seemed like Schelling wanted him to go. Privacy Policy | You dont have to marry me. Saxton said she asked him to track the number and that he said he would, but, of course, he never did, Saxton said. PUEBLO, Colo. CBI Investigator Kevin Torres remembers it like yesterday. In the back of my mind, I always kept that he is potentially a murderer.. Donthe was found at DIA. PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- Years after Donthe Lucas' arrest following the disappearance of his pregnant girlfriend, Kelsie Schelling, jurors are hearing the case against him in court Wednesday.Lucas is accused of killing Schelling and has been charged with first-degree murder. Prosecutors said he also admitted to that in 2017. Kelsie Schelling was only 21 years old when she vanished. OK. If you would like to share a story idea, please submit it here. Prosecutors called Ryan Rivera, who testified that when he was in jail with Lucas, Lucas claimed that investigators would never find Schelling's body and that they would never convict him. The jury convicted Lucas after approximately four hours of deliberation. Its going to be OK, Saxton said she told her daughter. It was just so emotional for everybody, for both sides, Saxton said. Lucas told Binet he and Schelling had not been on the best terms in recent months, as they wanted different things. Former FBI agent and ABC News contributor Brad Garrett said Marcus story aligns with how many other scams work. DENVER A woman found dead in Denver's Hampden South neighborhood on Feb. 25 was scheduled to testify in the murder trial of Kelsie Schelling, the Pueblo County District Attorney's Office . Once the money was exchanged, then this courier person would go and get Kelsie and bring her back to the McDonalds, Saxton said of the instructions she received. Donthe Lucas, 28, was found guilty on Monday in the killing of his missing girlfriend, Kelsie Schelling, according to the Denver Post. Lucas, according to Torres, directs her to go to Walmart. [He said] that [she] was his best friend and he had nothing to do with it, and then he would just shut down and start crying hysterically and get upset, Suhr said. Sinnema said Lucas told him that Schelling returned later that morning, again to discuss their relationship. Schellings family offered $50,000 for information about her disappearance and set up a Facebook page called Help Find Kelsie.. Opening statements were set to begin just after 8 a.m. Wednesday, and. Though it was likely frustrating and painful for Kelsies family, he believes it led to a successful conviction. In cross-examination, Lucas attorneys sought to discredit Walkers testimony by pointing out she has testified for prosecutorial bodies about trends in domestic violence more than 75 times in the past, and only testified on behalf of the defense in one prior case. He was within 20 minutes of getting on a plane for Tucson, Arizona, when he was arrested.. The messenger claimed they needed $50,000 in cash to help Schelling escape. Using cell phone data from Lucas and Schellings phones, the prosecution believes both phones were in the same location as the texts were being exchanged. For that reason, little DNA evidence was presented. On 4 February, Kelsie got confirmation of her pregnancy from her doctor and sent the scan pictures to Lucas. But tragically, Kelsie Schelling went missing soon after she revealed her pregnancy to her partner, Donthe Lucas. I just get mad and I dont want to fight with you. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. After years of waiting for him to go on trial for her disappearance, the disturbing details about Schelling's relationship with Lucas were finally revealed more than eight years later during a Colorado court trial in 2021, with Lucas charged with her murder. She claimed Schelling was alive. Police found Schelling's car in a Walmart parking lot in Pueblo a few days after she was reported missing. Now that she is gone, Ive had to turn into a fighter, Saxton told 20/20.. Saxton called Lucas, asking if he knew anything about her daughters disappearance. I knew once her car was found that something horrible had happened, because there's just no way that she would've gone somewhere and left her car, Saxton said. After a few weeks, they met in person. Sinnema said he spoke to Lucas that evening and Lucas told him Schelling had come to see him in the early morning hours of Feb. 5. However, due to technical difficulties, nobody in the public or the reporters pool could see or hear what was said or asked. Walker was called as a blind expert, meaning she was not familiar with the details of the Lucas case but spoke to general trends in domestic violence cases. Lucas was found guilty of first-degree murder in connection to the death or disappearance of Schelling. Saxtons hope was for answers. She drove to Pueblo that night to meet him, explaining that he had told her to come. Last month, a woman considered as the star witness to be called by the defense was murdered in Denver. His book charts the interlinked ontology and theory of subjectivity constructed by iek at the intersection of German idealism and Lacanian theory. Didnt expect to feel like this now.. I have no idea about no Megan or no kidnapping or anything like that, the man told 20/20. I had no clue anybody was supposed to be exchanging nothing for a human being If I did know, I would not have been involved in this situation..