I happen to believe that medicinal use of marijuana is legitimate; it genuinely helps some ill people. But I can't put into words here all of the many thoughts that crossed my mind reading this. A possibly legitimate instance of Castle Doctrine......but then, why not call police to report the crime, to report firing a weapon and to report stabbing someone. This could be self-defense, except that the rest of this woman's conduct is problematic at best.
I can, MAYBE, just barely understand not realizing in all this that you had shot someone rather than missing them; firearms are ranged weapons rather than usually used in closer quarters, at least ideally. It was clearly something that occurred after dark.......but how do you not know you stabbed someone? That has to be 'up close and personal'.
As with the earlier post about the ding dong ditch shooting, it will be interesting to see if the gun violence victims were facing or attempting to flee, as more details emerge.
Until then - by all means, comment away! Is this woman a criminal, a murderer? As there appear to be no arrests or charges of any kind for the marijuana reported here, I'm presuming for the moment that was being grown legally.
Fom
Huffington Post:
Karen Elaine Cordova, 48, was arrested Monday for allegedly stabbing two men who broke into her Erie, Colorado home where she grows medical marijuana -- killing one and and critically injuring the other -- is being formally charged with what will likely be second-degree murder and second-degree attempted murder Thursday.
According to the Longmont Times-Call, Cordova claims that Stephen Erikson, 34, and Kyle Dust, 31, broke into her house Saturday while she was home. Cordova confronted the two men and allegedly stabbed both of them, Erikson in the belly, leaving a 5-inch wound above his belly button cutting his stomach and liver, leaving Erikson alive but critically injured.
SECOND UPDATE:
Karen Elaine Cordova was released from Weld County Jail late Thursday and the district attorney's office announced that no charges will be filed against Cordova at this time, however the investigation remains open, according to
The Denver Post.
More details have emerged from the alleged robbery and act of self defense from Cordova. Sheriff's spokesperson Margie Martinez spoke to the
Daily Camera saying that Cordova never reported the burglary attempt or the fact that she had stabbed or shot anyone before the investigators arrived at her door on Monday.
Martinez went on to state to the
Daily Camera that it was her understanding that investigators did not recover any weapons when searching Cordova's property, but did find some of the marijuana plants had been pulled from their pots. Martinez also states to the
Daily Camera that the Colorado's "Make My Day" law will be taken into consideration, especially due to the nature of Dust's fatal gunshot wounds, before making any further arrests.
However, it hasn't been revealed where Dust was shot, but if he was shot in the back it could reveal he was fleeing the crime scene at the time which could further complicate this already complex story.
UPDATE:
As more details emerge, this case of apparent self-defense gets more complex.
The Denver Post reports that Weld County Coroner's autopsy report on Kyle Dust revealed that he died of a gunshot wound, not a stab wound, as the suspect, Karen Cordova originally told the police investigating the case.
Stephen Erikson, who was stabbed, remains in the hospital in critical condition.
EARLIER:
7News reports, that Erikson, still alive, staggerd into his Erie home when one of his roommates called 911. Erikson was taken to Lafayette Samaritan Hospital where he remains in critical condition.
In the police report Cordova is reported by the
Longmont Times-Call as saying:
I am not going to lie, what would you do if someone broke into your house at 2:30 in the morning? I'm a single woman.
The Denver Post reports that although the attempted robbery and stabbings happened Saturday morning, Dust, the accomplice, was not found until Monday. Detectives returned to Cordova’s home where they found Dust’s body at the edge of her property, the
Longmont Times-Call reports, when according to the police report Cordova said:
Oh my God, I didn't know that I killed him. They were coming for me. They were coming for me.
The investigation got more complex when it was discovered that Erikson met Cordova two weeks prior, learned that Cordova ran a medical marijiuana business out of her home and then scouted her home for a later burglary by posing as a home repair consultant to Cordova. Erikson had even robbed Cordova’s house once before, either Friday or earlier Saturday, and then later returned on Saturday with Dust to rob her again, the
Longmont Times-Call reports.
Cordova is being held in Weld County Jail on $400,000 bail.