FORT COLLINS — Shawna Nelson disguised herself behind a grim reaper mask and a flowing, black robe and shot her romantic rival, Heather Garraus, in January 2007 because she saw Garraus as an “obstacle,” a prosecutor said Wednesday.
Garraus was married to then-Greeley police Officer Igancio Garraus, Nelson’s sometimes boyfriend and the father of her child, said prosecutor Cliff Riedel. When Ignacio broke off his relationship with Nelson to be with his wife in December 2006, Nelson saw Heather Garraus as a rival who had to be eliminated, Riedel told prospective jurors.
“The woman behind that grim reaper mask was the defendant, Shawna Nelson,” Riedel said.
Riedel on Wednesday briefly spelled out his case against Nelson before 38 prospective jurors during a process that by today could yield a 12-person panel. Nelson faces a first-degree murder charge for allegedly killing Heather Garraus in front of Garraus’ office in Greeley on Jan. 23, 2007.
Nelson, dressed in a black-and white pantsuit, listened as lawyers on both sides quizzed the panel about why they shouldn’t be jurors. At one point, Nelson laughed and joked with her jailers.
This week, some of the original jury pool of 132 were dismissed by District Judge Roger Klein because they were tainted by media attention to the case. Others were sent home because they convinced Klein they would suffer a personal hardship if they served.
Nelson’s attorney, Kevin Strobel, told the would-be panel that Nelson was miles away when Garraus was killed. Nelson also had reconciled with the fact that Ignacio Garraus was going back to his wife, Strobel said.
“Shawna Nelson was moving on with her life,” he said.
Monte Whaley: 720-929-0907 or mwhaley@denverpost.com
