Boulder County – While the Sheriff’s Office no longer is investigating a couple who killed an armed intruder earlier this month, authorities still want to know more about the man who was killed and whether he had an accomplice, a spokesman said Tuesday.
“We’re trying to establish a motive,” Lt. Phil West said Tuesday.
Evans Sussman, 41, has been identified as the man who tried to force his way into Becci Starr and Scott Mattes’ home Oct. 3. Investigators say they want to be sure no one else was involved in planning the home invasion in Sunshine Canyon.
On Monday, they interviewed for about two hours a person identified only as Sussman’s former roommate. West said investigators have found “nothing firm” that would connect others to the break-in.
Authorities say Sussman had a toy gun and a knife and said he was with “Boulder County Police” when he tried to force his way into Starr and Mattes’ home. Starr struggled with him, hitting him several times with a baseball bat. Mattes stabbed Suss man with the intruder’s own knife.
For more than two weeks, no one could identify the intruder, but last week authorities announced it was Sussman. While the couple said they did not recognize the man at the time, Mattes told authorities he remembered hiring Sussman several years ago to do work on a car at Mattes’ house.
Mattes also referred Sussman to his attorney, Howard Bittman, for Sussman’s 2002 divorce.
Bittman, who is representing Starr and Mattes, said Tuesday that authorities have not asked to speak with his clients since they were ruled out of any criminal charges.
West said the Sheriff’s Office also is investigating whether Suss man was linked to other crimes. “We’ve gotten some indication that this was not a first offense,” he said.
Staff writer George Merritt can be reached at 720-929-0893 or gmerritt@denverpost.com.
