An Englewood man was arrested Saturday and charged with second-degree murder for allegedly killing his fiancée’s mother then dumping her body in Clear Creek County.
John Brant, 32, told police that he was “pushed” into the crime by Jacqueline Degarmo, who Brant said threatened to shoot him and Alisia Blythe with a BB gun.
Blythe was Degarmo’s daughter and Brant’s fiancée.
“I’m not really a violent person … this is not something that, like, I ever thought in my life would happen,” Brant told investigators, according to his arrest report.
According to officials, Brant murdered Degarmo on Feb. 21; the 55-year-old was reported missing on April 24. On May 3rd, her body was discovered by five people in a tarp in the area of Mine and Crest Roads in Clear Creek County.
The autopsy report said that Degarmo’s head and hands were removed following her death.
On Friday, the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office issued a bulletin with a photo of a tattoo from the then-unidentified body, hoping to determine who she was. Detectives in Englewood contacted Blythe, who had reported Degarmo missing.
Blythe told police that she and Degarmo had matching tattoos. Further investigation led police to get a search warrant for Degarmo’s home, 4046 S. Logan St., and then to interview Brant and Blythe, who told police that Brant strangled Degarmo after she swung a stick at her daughter.
Brant was arrested and taken to the Arapahoe County Jail. Police say they are working with the coroner’s office to confirm the identity of the victim and are also asking the public’s help in finding Degarmo’s car, a 1997 Nissan 200sx, metallic blue in color, with Colorado license plate 632LHE.
If anyone has have information on this vehicle, please contact the Englewood Police Department at 303-761-7410.
Anthony Cotton: 303-954-1292, acotton@denverpost.com or
