A federal grand jury has indicted a 44-year-old Colorado Springs man on a charge of damaging a building where his accountant had an office and being a felon in possession of a handgun.
Thaddeus Cheyenne Murphy was indicted on the charges on Monday and faces up to 20 years in a federal prison.
Murphy is accused of placing an incendiary device at 603 South El Paso St. in Colorado Springs on Jan. 6.
Murphy is scheduled for an arraignment Wednesday in U.S. court.
The U.S. Attorney’s office will argue that Murphy is too dangerous to be released on bond, according to a news release by Jeffrey Dorschner, spokesman for the office.
Murphy faces between 5 and 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for using an explosive or incendiary device to damage the building.
The convicted felon faces up to 10 years in prison for possessing a handgun on Feb. 19, Dorschner said.
Initially, federal and local investigators keyed in on an as the target, but a criminal complaint against Murphy says an accountant who prepared his taxes in the past was the intended target.
He had to declare bankruptcy, the complaint said, and he was trying to get previous tax records from the accountant, Steve DeHaven.
Murphy told investigators he could not reach DeHaven. The accountant died in Mesa, Ariz., on June 23.
The investigation into Murphy’s motive is ongoing, Dorschner said.
This case is being jointly investigated by the FBI, ATF and the Colorado Springs Police Department with support from the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.
Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206, denverpost.com/coldcases or twitter.com/kirkmitchell
