Colorado dorm shooting suspect threatened to kill victim a month ago and had ‘fully-loaded AK47’, court told

Nicholas Jordan, 25, made his first appearance in court on Friday in connection with the shooting deaths of fellow University of Colorado Colorado Springs student Samuel Knopp, 25, and Celie Montgomery, 26, of Pueblo

(Denver Post via Getty Images)

The 25-year-old student suspected of shooting dead his University of Colorado Colorado Springs roommate and a 26-year-old woman in a campus dorm had made previous threats to kill his roommate, according to court documents unsealed Friday.

Nicholas Jordan, originally from Detroit, made his first appearance in an El Paso County courtroom Friday morning following his Monday arrest in connection with the deaths of Samuel Knopp, 24, and Celie Rain Montgomery, 26. They were found fatally shot on 16 February in Crestone House, residential housing in the campus Alpine Village area.

Jordan faces charges of first-degree murder and appeared nervous Friday as he sat in an orange jumpsuit, flanked by his lawyers and a deputy, before Judge David Shakes.

Nicholas Jordan (AP)

The judge ordered the unsealing of the arrest affidavit – in which a third roommate details how Jordan threatened to kill Knopp in January if he was asked to take out the trash again. According to the surviving roommate, he and Knopp “had to report Nicholas Jordan for unsafe living conditions and smoking in the room.”

The affidavit confirms UCCS Police and and Housing had documented complaints and contacts with the suspect, including the aforementioned incident last month, when “there was an argument between Mr Knopp and Mr Jordan over a bag of trash that Mr Knopp collected and placed near Mr Jordan’s door.

“Mr Jordan threatened Mr Knopp and told him that he would ‘Kill Him’ and there would be consequences if Mr Jordan was asked to take out the trash again,” the affidavit states.

The surviving roommate told police he awoke before 6am on 16 February “to the sound of gunshots and the immediate sound of a person moaning ... then heard a door shut and what sounded like someone running.” He immediately called authorities and remained in his room with the door locked.

On Friday, Jordan’s lawyers argued for a reduction in bond, which had already been increased from $1million to $5million on Tuesday at the request of prosecutors. The defense cited Jordan’s lack of previous convictions and family support, describing him as a junior studying for his accounting degree with ties to the community through temp jobs he worked.

The prosecution countered, noting both the severity of the crimes and the vehement objections from both victim families to any reduction.

“We have recently discovered that, in addition to the handgun found in his vehicle, he had a full-loaded AK-47 rifle,” prosecutor Robert Willett said Friday, adding that Jordan had been “in the process of withdrawing from school” and had no known family or close relationship “within 500 miles of this jurisdiction.”

The prosecutor also pointed out that Jordan is facing life sentences without parole if convicted.

“I think that he’s a danger to the community; he’s obviously a flight risk, with indications that everything he owned was in the car he was contacted in,” Willett said, also pointing out that Jordan had made “no effort to contact police or to turn himself in” before his arrest.

Judge Shakes denied bond reduction, particularly citing the severity of the crimes and the discovery of Jordan’s alleged weapons.

Defense lawyers explained how an ongoing cyber attack on state public defenders was limiting their ability to commit to a preliminary hearing date. When the judge explained the delay to Jordan and how his representation may be pushed back to 60 days, the 25-year-old asked: “Can that date come up faster ... next week? Tomorrow?”

Proceedings were temporarily halted as Jordan consulted further with his lawyers, eventually refusing to waive his 35-day right to a preliminary hearing, with a date set for 27 March at 9am.

A status conference hearing was set for 15 March, which Jordan requested to attend, as well.

UCCS confirmed after Jordan’s arrest that he had been enrolled at the school and had been Knopp’s roommate. The 24-year-old was a senior studying music, known as a talented guitarist, while 26-year-old Montgomery was not a UCCS student. She was a mother of two young children from Pueblo.

A cousin of Ms Montgomery’s called the shooting “senseless, and definition of wrong place, wrong time!” Michael Montgomery wrote on Facebook. “Celie was the example of a Montgomery! An individual, a beautiful soul, and a wonderful mother, daughter, niece, cousin, granddaughter, certainly friend, and human being in general!”