The website gives the following. 2023 Telepictures Productions Inc. For years, Donthe maintained that he had nothing to do with Kelsies disappearance and had no idea where she could be. But their star witness, who would have allegedly testified that Donthe confessed the killing to her, couldnt make it to court as she was shot to death just days before. Daily Briefing The jury convicted Lucas after approximately four hours of deliberation. I felt like I got to see a side of him that maybe most people didnt, she said. Her. Introduction: Managing the World; 1. If Tate testified that after her appointment concluded, Schelling scheduled her follow-up appointment for March 4, 2013, but never showed up. Doctor's records confirmed that she was eight weeks pregnant, with the presumed father being. Those charges were later dropped when investigators found out that she would sometimes give him permission to use her bank card, and he was released. 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. Suhr said she never fell in love with Lucas and never saw him again, only reaching out to him to tell him she was ending their relationship. (Schelling's family denies claims that she ever engaged in the use of illegal substances, per ABC News). Binet also said Lucas did not at any point tell him hed dropped Schellings vehicle off at St. Mary-Corwin, nor did he mention that he had used Schellings debit card to withdraw money from her account. Donthe Lucas' mother and grandmother take the stand | KRDO The next day, Schellings father tried to get in touch with her and received a strange text waving him off. In this week's True Crime Daily Podcast: An update to the Colorado cold case murder of missing pregnant woman Kelsie Schelling (1:50). Although some initially believed it seemed suspicious that Martinez died just before her testimony, investigators determined the shooting was completely unrelated to the trial. Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Community Guidelines | KRDO Jobs | FCC Applications |, KRDO FCC Public File | KRDO FCC Applications, Breaking News Dont text me. Watch Still A Mystery - Season 1 | Prime Video - amazon.com The defense in Lucas' trial rested on Monday without calling any witnesses. In this week's True Crime Daily Podcast: An update to the Colorado cold case murder of missing pregnant woman Kelsie Schelling (1:50). S43 E19 Finding Kelsie A young woman goes missing. sandiway.arizona.edu The court then heard from Denver Police Department officer Chad Sinnema, who gathered the initial information for the missing persons report filed by Schellings family Feb. 9. Michelle Chostner prosecuted the case alongside senior prosecutor Kyle McCarthy, and Alex Baker, an Assistant Attorney General in the Colorado Attorney Generals Office. Suspecting foul play, police accelerated the investigation. The texts exchanged indicate Lucas and Schelling were constantly arguing throughout the night of Feb. 3, both in text and in short phone conversations in which Schelling seemed to continually hang up on Lucas. Saxton said she told Lucas that she didn't care if they were together or apart, but she told him "there is a child involved now." Last month, a woman considered as the star witness to be called by the defense was murdered in Denver. wordlist = ['!', '$.027', '$.03', '$.054/mbf', '$.07', '$.07/cwt', '$.076', '$.09', '$.10-a-minute', '$.105', '$.12', '$.30', '$.30/mbf', '$.50', '$.65', '$.75', '$. The 21-year-old from Colorado had already announced to family and friends that she was expecting, and she and her parents had even begun picking out baby names. Schelling's body has never been found, but she is presumed dead. It said, "Where are you? Kelsie Schelling Missing: Family of pregnant Colo. woman, 22, pleads Schelling disappeared almost six years ago when she was heading to see Lucas in Pueblo. By May 2018, a judge said prosecutors had proved probable cause. Donthe was found at DIA. Learn more about Dan here. The Oscars will air on ABC and can be streamed on ABC.com and the ABC app as well as Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, AT&T TV or FuboTV. Im very grateful that our paths crossed and God took us to this moment.. Laura Saxton and her daughter Kelsie Schelling, who vanished in 2013. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? A murder conviction without a body is an instance of a person being convicted of murder despite the absence of the victim's body. Then, in December 2020, the murder trial was set to start on Jan. 25, 2021. It was scary. Opening statements were set to begin just after 8 a.m. Wednesday, and. On 4 February, Kelsie got confirmation of her pregnancy from her doctor and sent the scan pictures to Lucas. A recording of their conversation was introduced as evidence. There was no deals like that.. In December 2017, investigators believed they finally had enough evidence to charge Lucas with the first-degree murder of Schelling, even though her remains have, as of this report, not been recovered. We're working on getting clarification on that issue. Without a body or any direct evidence that tells us something happened to her, [changing the case] to a homicide, it may happen one day, but right now we haven't had any evidence to reclassify it, former deputy Pueblo police chief Andy McLachlan said. Donthe Lucas. Kelsie Schelling disappeared after driving down from Denver to Pueblo on February 4th, 2013. "We're doing everything in our power. On Feb. 5, Lucas said the two of them were together, but video from the Walmart cameras show only one person, who police believe was Lucas, getting out of the car. Prosecutors told jurors, "This is not a missing persons case it is a homicide case," before saying that they are certain they'll be able to prove she was killed. Four days passed after Schelling drove to Pueblo on the night of Feb. 4. Are you still coming (down to Pueblo) after work? It reaches the surface, he said. Watch the full story on "20/20" FRIDAY at 9 p.m. Kelsie Schelling's childhood rocked with emotional fallout from family split: Part 1Schelling's parents got divorced and she lived with her mother, Laura Sax. 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. Testimony in the trial is set to resume Tuesday, with Schelling's older brother, Colby Schelling, on the witness stand. Schelling's body hasn't been found. (viaABC News). Emails the messenger had sent proved to be untraceable and an FBI analysis of their Facebook page revealed they used an IP address in Russia. Then, Suhr said something unexpected happened with Lucas: her undercover relationship with him blossomed into romance. It said, Where are you? 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. In most scams, they're compartmentalized, Garrett said. Then, at 11:10 p.m., he told her to go to another location near his grandmothers house. Schellings friends said they remembered her relationship with Lucas was often tumultuous, with the two constantly fighting and making up -- then the unthinkable happened. If your child will play baseball or softball this spring, youll need to stock up on appropriate clothing and equipment. On Feb. 3 2013, text message records show Lucas had tried to convince Schelling to drive from Denver to his hometown of Pueblo, Colorado, to receive a surprise gift. Schelling left work shortly after 8:40 p.m. and drove two hours to see Lucas in Pueblo. 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," the man told "20/20.". Schelling and Lucas met at Northeastern Junior College in 2010. She'd driven down from Denver to Pueblo to meet her boyfriend Donthe Lucas, who had. Lauren Suhr, a young single mother who didnt know Kelsie Schelling or her family, was so moved by Schellings story that she decided she would try to get information on Schelling, on her own initiative, from Donthe Lucas. I do not.. Eric Bravo took over the case with the help of Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) agent Kevin Torres. Her mother, Laura Saxton, also knew about their tumultuous alliance. I just thought, What if shes been out there and I couldve found her and we havent?. 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. She said they dated for a year when, on his porch, he started hyperventilating and crying. Im not going today, Lucas allegedly responded. Thankfully I had a great team. 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) . . Donthe Lucas was found guilty of murdering his then-pregnant girlfriend, Kelsie Schelling, in 2013. I mean, it's a sad story. Schelling replied that she did want Lucas to accompany her to the doctor until I realized thats the last place you wanted to be.. Asked about the conversation he allegedly had with Schelling the prior day, Feb. 9, when she called him from a blocked number, Lucas said the conversation was very short and consisted of Schelling yelling at him and telling him not to leave her voicemails. Even thinking about it now that we have the guilty verdict, [there is] just so much still to do to find Kelsie and bring her back to the family.. Around the same time, texts were also being exchanged from Lucas and Schellings phones. 1 In February 2013, Kelsie Schelling was very happy to find out she was eight weeks pregnant, according to ABC News. What if she is still out there somewhere? Saxton said. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way, Opening statements in murder trial begin in case of Kelsie Schelling's disappearance, Donthe Lucas murder trial will begin Wednesday, Long-awaited murder trial to begin in the case of Kelsie Schelling's disappearance, Previous coverage: The Kelsie Schelling Case. YouTube: Body parts found in suitcases, luggage tags lead to suspected killer; Kelsie Schelling update - TCDPOD, TRUE CRIME DAILY: THE PODCAST covers high-profile and under-the-radar cases SUBSCRIBE: APPLE PODCASTS / SPOTIFY / STITCHER / GOOGLE PODCASTS / YOUTUBE. On Monday, he was sentenced to life in prison. 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. While in custody, Lucas admitted to police that he picked up Schellings car and dropped it off at the hospital. You couldn't see what kind of vehicle, you couldn't tell who was in the car, Pueblo police Capt. Sara Lucas says she only met her son's girlfriend. KRDO NewsChannel 13 is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation. Walker said domestic violence, broadly speaking, addresses patterns of coercive control where one person in a relationship maintains power over the other. Rivera said that Lucas once told him while they were about to play a game of cards that investigators would never find Schelling's body. Love you Donthe.. Laura Saxton fought tirelessly for justice in the case of her missing pregnant daughter. Law enforcement finally turned Schellings missing persons case into a criminal case. Resolved: Release in which this issue/RFE has been resolved. Lucas and Schelling continue to exchange texts throughout the day of Feb. 4, beginning before her OBGYN appointment. There are no cameras allowed in the building and no live reporting from the courthouse. Pueblo County District Attorney Jeff Chostner said investigators received a tip Lucas may be trying to skip town. Though Lucas has been sentenced to life behind bars for her murder, the exact location of Schellings remains have not been revealed and Saxton still hasnt been able to lay her to rest. The defense argued it was a missing persons case. Apparently she had a miscarriage yesterday.. The theory would explain the lack of a murder weapon. The first search warrant was executed at the suspects home on Feb. 14a period of 11 days, or 264 hours. However, due to technical difficulties, nobody in the public or the reporters pool could see or hear what was said or asked. Suhr messaged Lucas on Facebook saying she was new to the Pueblo area and that she was looking to meet new people. She said she first reached out to him on Facebook and they exchanged numbers. Lucas said Schelling then dropped him off at his house and left. Saxton said the messenger told her Lucas had sold her daughter into sex trafficking. A jury. I've been here over an hour just waiting." Schelling didn't show up to work on Feb. 5, and a worried co-worker tried calling her. They never found anything on those searches. 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. This article has been updated, and we apologize for the error. But soon, Kelsie started confiding in her friends that her boyfriend was physically abusive and exhibited other toxic behavioral traits. Binet testified Monday he contacted Donthe Lucas on Feb. 10th. kelsie schelling murder, mollie tibbetts murder, true crime series. Lucas pleaded not guilty to the murder charges in August 2018, and the judge set a trial date for 2019. Murder of Kelsey Smith - Wikipedia Schelling's body has never been found. Lucas Defense: This is a reach the biggest reach in Pueblos history.. Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. Kelsie's father Doug Schelling received a strange text from his daughter when he tried to check on her. Ive never had that phone.. Megan Lancaster, then 25, had disappeared just months after Schelling. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Schelling didnt show up to work on Feb. 5, and her worried co-worker Savannah Heggie tried calling her. On the day she reportedly disappeared, GPS on her phone showed it traveled to the same location in Pueblo as Lucas' phone. Torres said texts showed Schelling eventually agreed to come to Pueblo. But more importantly, I wanted the jury to hear the defendant, in his own words, say, I lied.. Thus, today, at the age of 28, Donthe Isiah Lucas, or inmate 190792, is incarcerated in the Centennial Correctional Facility in Canon City.