A federal judge on Wednesday ordered a 44-year-old man held without bond on charges accusing him of planting an explosive device at a Colorado Springs building last month.
U.S. Magistrate Michael J. Watanabe said Thaddeus Cheyenne Murphy could pose a danger to the safety of the community and could be a flight risk.
Watanabe noted Murphy’s criminal history includes thefts and mentioned that he has been diagnosed with severe depression for which he takes medication.
Murphy, wearing dark green prison clothes, appeared in manacles, handcuffs and chains. He did not speak during the hearing. His public defender, Timothy O’Hara, entered not guilty pleas to the felony charges against him.
Murphy faces up to 20 years in a federal prison after a on a charge of using an explosive or incendiary device to damage or destroy a building and being a felon in possession of weapons.
O’Hara argued that Murphy should be released on bond to his house or a halfway house, possibly with an ankle bracelet, in part because he has been a life-long resident of Colorado and his alleged bombing target is already dead. It was not a random crime, he said.
“One thing is clear from the allegations is that Mr. Murphy was cooperating with authorities,” O’Hara said. “He told the officers what happened.”
But federal prosecutor Greg Holloway said Murphy planted an improvised explosive device at an occupied building during normal work hours.
“A bomb, by it’s nature, is random,” Holloway said.
He said a bomb doesn’t chose which person it will harm or kill. O’Hara noted that Murphy had failed to appear for prior court hearings on three occasions.
Holloway said that when authorities searched Murphy’s Colorado Springs home they discovered seven weapons, including two assault guns, a shotgun and a large-caliber Russian battle rifle.
Noting that the explosive did not ignite a container of gasoline, Holloway suggested it was fortunate Murphy didn’t bring his guns instead. Holloway said Murphy confessed to the explosion explaining that he had “flipped out” and did it while he was in a “rage.”
Murphy is accused of placing an incendiary device at 603 South El Paso St. in Colorado Springs on Jan. 6.
Initially, federal and local investigators keyed in on an NAACP office in the building as the target, but a criminal complaint against Murphy says an accountant who prepared his taxes in the past was the intended target.
Murphy 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.
But Jeffrey Dorschner, spokesman for U.S. Attorney John Walsh, said ATF, FBI and Colorado Springs agents and police are still investigating the motive for the explosion.
