Boulder – A 14-year-old girl accused of the mercy killing of her suicidal father faces up to five years in juvenile confinement in a case where the defendant is drawing support from her classmates.
Charged as a juvenile, the girl faces counts of second-degree murder and first-degree assault, according to a filing Friday in Boulder Juvenile Court. She may be sentenced as an aggravated juvenile offender, which could net her five years’ confinement.
Magistrate T.J. Cole on Friday set a preliminary hearing for testimony on May 25.
Investigators say they found the girl’s father dead from gunshot wounds to his head and chest March 13 at his Boulder County home on 75th Street.
The girl told detectives she found her father in pain from a gunshot wound and she shot him again to end his suffering.
She was arrested for investigation of manslaughter, and she has since been held at a juvenile detention facility in Greeley.
The girl’s friends have started a fund for her and saw her briefly Friday in her prison uniform when she appeared before Cole.
“I felt kind of happy in a way to see her today … it’s just nice to know she’s there and OK,” said 15-year-old Lily Nolan, who has known the girl since middle school. “She is still such a little girl, not even that far from elementary school.”
Lindsey Cunningham, 15, said her friend was always close to her dad. “It’s so hard for her to go through this and to lose her dad,” Cunningham said. “We just want her to know we are here for her.”
Cole on Friday also refused to lift a gag order he imposed in the case.
Staff writer Monte Whaley can be reached at 303-726-8674 or mwhaley@denverpost.com.
