Greeley -Evidence and statements from a man accused of stabbing the starting punter on the University of Northern Colorado football team can be used at his attempted murder trial later this month.
Lawyers for 21-year-old Mitch Cozad claimed police denied Cozad access to an attorney and threatened both he and his mother to get a statement from him.
But Weld District Judge Marcelo Kopcow ruled Monday that nearly all the statements Cozad made during the police investigation of the Sept. 1, 2006, stabbing were voluntary, and a search of his dorm room and car were legal.
“Nearly everything the police gathered will be allowed at trial,” said Weld District Attorney spokeswoman Jennifer Finch.
Cozad, a former UNC backup punter, is accused of stabbing the starting punter, Rafael Mendoza, in the thigh. Police claim Cozad stalked Mendoza before attacking him outside of his Evans apartment.
Cozad is charged with attempted first-degree murder and assault. If convicted he could face up to 48 years in prison. He is free on $500,000 bond and has been living with his mother, Margaret Cozad, in Wheatland, Wyo.
The Cozads claim that in one unrecorded police interview, investigators “used obscenities, filthy names, and threats towards them,” according to Kopcow.
But, Kopcow said, “this court finds that there is no credible direct or indirect evidence that officers acted intimidating, coercive or threatening to the defendant or his mother…”
The trial is scheduled to begin July 30.
Staff writer Monte Whaley can be reached at 720-929-0907 or at mwhaley@denverpost.com.
