Richard Sanders, who became an expert in audio forensics, died of a brain tumor at his Lakewood home Aug. 3. He was 57.
A memorial service is planned at 2 p.m. Aug. 29 in the King Center Concert Hall on the Auraria campus.
Sanders got federal grants to establish the National Center for Audio/Video Forensics, near downtown Denver.
The center focuses on training law enforcement in determining the validity of audio and video tapes.
He also established an audio forensics graduate program at the University of Colorado Denver and had a recording studio where he recorded voice-overs for commercials, short- subject films and training videos.
Sanders worked on several high-profile cases, including JonBenet Ramsey’s murder. He also worked on some tapes thought to have been recorded by Osama bin Laden, his wife said.
“He was the most competent person I ever knew in virtually everything he did,” said a colleague, Tom Lang, who taught with Sanders.
Before Sanders, audio forensics “was mostly the domain of the FBI,” said Lang.
Sanders “was a wonderful mentor to the junior faculty and the young researchers,” said David Dynak, dean of the College of Arts and Media at UCD. “He did a tremendous amount of expert-witness testimony. We will have an international search to replace him.”
Sanders also made recordings of Christian music and composed music, his wife said.
Richard Sanders was born in Flint, Mich., and went to the General Motors Institute in Flint.
He earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder and had planned to work in the automotive field.
But he switched to audio engineering and studied that at UCD.
Sanders married Ann Marie Powers on Dec. 28, 1997.
In addition to her, he is survived by his daughter, Sarah Howell of Westminster; a son, Jeffrey Sanders of Aurora; stepson Andrew Mulloy of Lakewood; seven grandchildren; his sister, Marian Mage of Florida; and two brothers, Fred and Ron, both of Michigan. Inside.
