Calling his attitude “chilling” and his alleged crimes “brazen,” an El Paso County judge on Thursday ruled that a teenager will be tried as an adult in the slayings of a Fort Carson soldier and his pregnant wife – meaning he will face a life sentence if convicted.
After a three-day hearing in 4th Judicial District Court, Judge Deborah Grohs rejected a request by attorneys for Macyo January to have his case sent back to Juvenile Court, where prosecutors feared he would face far lighter penalties.
In handing down her ruling, Grohs said January, who was 17 at the time of the Jan. 14 shootings of Fort Carson Sgt. David Dunlap and wife Whitney Butler, had repeatedly spurned opportunities for reform after a series of run-ins with the law beginning at age 14, making it unlikely he would be receptive to similar programs offered in juvenile institutions.
The judge added that had January been just four months older at the time of the offense, he would have been a candidate for the death penalty, a point made by lead prosecutor Jeff Lindsey in arguing against the transfer to Juvenile Court.
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