Dave Conner, an assistant U.S. attorney, died Tuesday at home in Denver after a long battle with cancer. He was 60.
Conner fought cancer for more than 15 years but continued to work up until the time of his death.
“Dave Conner was no ordinary prosecutor. Over 32 years of service in the state and federal courts, he dedicated his heart and soul to the pursuit of justice,” U.S. Attorney John Walsh said in a news release. “Dave’s skill, integrity and fierce commitment to fairness made him a legend among prosecutors, law enforcement and defense attorneys alike.”
Over the years, Conner prosecuted several high-profile cases, including the 1984 and the federal case against U.S. , who started the June 2002 Hayman Fire.
Conner graduated from University of Denver College of Law and started his career as deputy district attorney in Denver in 1982. He left the Denver District Attorney’s Office in 1988 to work for the U.S. Attorney’s Office. In 1996, he went to , returning to the U.S. Attorney’s Office about four years later.
Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey, a long-time friend and colleague, described Conner as “extremely intelligent, dedicated and loyal.”
“He could do things on his feet in the courtroom you would never see anyone else pulling off,” Morrissey said Thursday.
Former Denver DA and Colorado Governor Bill Ritter also worked with Conner. Ritter supervised Conner at the Denver DA’s office; and Conner was Ritter’s supervisor when they both worked for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Ritter described Conner as a “brilliant trial lawyer” with a “gruff exterior.”
As with Morrissey, Ritter’s professional relationship with Conner developed into a friendship.
“He could be as funny as the day is long,” Ritter said. “A pretty complicated person, he could be sensitive, loving, exceptionally bright. At the same time, he could be pretty gruff, pretty hard on people.
Conner was know to sometimes dispense “unsolicited advice,” Ritter said. “You loved the fact that you to to be on the receiving end of it.”
Conner, who possessed a photographic memory, was known to quote biblical passages and lines from Old West movies, as well as closing court arguments. He was a lifelong student of U.S. history, focusing on Abraham Lincoln and the American West.
Driven by an unwavering “sense of justice,” Conner continued to work for years as he battled disease.
“His spirit, his life force, fighting cancer since the late-1990s, a lot of people would have given up,” Morrissey said. “He never gave up.”
Before becoming an attorney, conner worked as a newspaper reporter in Kirksville, Mo., and was a clerk with the Missouri Attorney General’s Office.
He is survived by his wife, Teri Dahn; a son, Gavin Conner; and a daughter, Ashton Conner. He was a member of the Smoky Hill United Methodist Church. Services are pending.
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822, knicholson@denverpost.com or twitter.com/kierannicholson
