Criminal Justice Reporter
Shelly Bradbury
Shelly Bradbury is the criminal justice enterprise reporter at the Denver Post. She joined the paper in 2019 and previously worked as a crime reporter at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in Pennsylvania and the Chattanooga Times Free Press in Tennessee. She’s been a reporter since 2012, focused on policing, public safety, jails and courts. In Pittsburgh, she helped the newspaper earn the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news after a mass shooting at a local synagogue, and in 2020 she was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in local reporting for an investigation into child sexual abuse among Amish and Mennonite communities.
Featured Stories

More people died in police chases in this Denver suburb than in the state’s biggest cities
The Denver Post examined the region’s approach to police pursuits after the Aurora Police Department quietly broadened its policy in October to allow officers to chase more suspects.

Inside the investigation of a CBI scientist’s years of misconduct: “God forbid we have someone in prison that shouldn’t be”
During the internal affairs investigation, Yvonne "Missy" Woods' colleagues reacted to her conduct with anger, betrayal and bewilderment, their interviews show.

How Pueblo weaponizes contempt of court to inflate jail time for minor crimes
Pueblo city judges have sent people to jail for months on charges that in other Colorado courts are punished by one or two days in jail. Experts call it "draconian"...
All Stories

Denver Hells Angels member shot with projectile sues over police use of force during 2019 raid
A Denver Hells Angels Motorcycle Club member who was arrested as part of a sweeping law enforcement action in 2019 filed a federal lawsuit last week over injuries he suffered...

Home defense or murder? “Make My Day” shooting heads to Colorado Supreme Court
The Colorado law that gives residents the right to kill intruders into their homes will face a new test before the Colorado Supreme Court on Monday in a case that...

Colorado law allowing verdicts from 11-person juries is unconstitutional, appeals court rules
The Colorado Court of Appeals struck down a state law as unconstitutional Thursday, finding that felony criminal defendants are entitled to a 12-person jury and that the law saying otherwise...

Dual investigations into Colorado’s court system move forward
The Colorado Judicial Department has cleared the way for a pair of independent investigations to go forward into allegations of judicial misconduct and a cover-up at the highest levels of...

Father killed wife, two children in murder-suicide, El Paso County Sheriff’s Office says
A Colorado father killed his wife, two of their children and himself at their home in El Paso County over the weekend in what investigators believe was a murder-suicide, authorities...

Longtime Denver-area priest facing child pornography charges in Rhode Island
A Roman Catholic priest who spent 15 years at a Littleton church before becoming a pastor in Rhode Island this summer is facing child pornography charges in that state.

Northern Lights disappoint in Colorado in rare chance to see them
The Northern Lights didn't make an appearance in Colorado Saturday night after all.

Man killed in Aurora shooting early Sunday morning
A man was fatally shot early Sunday morning In Aurora, according to a statement from Aurora police.

Two children, two adults slain “apparent murder/suicide” in El Paso County
Two children and two adults were killed in what appears to be a murder-suicide at a home near Monument, according to the El Paso County sheriff's office.

Denver weather: Chilly, cloudy Halloween ahead for trick-or-treaters
Bundle up those princesses and superheroes, Denver, because trick-or-treating will be a little chilly tonight.