The trial for a former Rocky Ford police officer accused of murder in an has been postponed until June.
James Ashby was set to face a jury starting next week, but the Colorado Judicial Department says a judge ruled Tuesday to reschedule the trial.
It was not immediately clear what prompted the change.
Ashby is and other charges in the fatal shooting of 27-year-old Jack Jacquez on Oct. 12, 2014. The postponed trial comes amidst by Ashby’s lawyers to restrict evidence they believe could sully jurors’ views of the former officer.
Investigators say Ashby followed 27-year-old Jacquez into the home of Jacquez’s mother and fatally shot him in the back. Ashby told investigators he thought Jacquez was a burglar, , but officials say the former cop had no reason to believe Jacquez was committing a crime.
At least four of Rocky Ford’s 10 officers have had problems in previous law enforcement jobs or had criminal convictions that might have kept them from being hired at bigger departments or in other states, .
Rocky Ford’s former police chief told The Post that Ashby’s records from his previous law enforcement job in Walsenburg were not reviewed before he was hired. Officials instead relied on verbal recommendations from his former supervisors.
Ashby had been the subject of several internal affairs investigations in Walsenburg.
Ashby has pleaded not guilty in the case.
Jesse Paul: 303-954-1733, jpaul@denverpost.com or @JesseAPaul
