West
Phony delivery drivers attack children during home invasion in what could be alarming new trend: expert
A trio of depraved armed robbers posing as deliverymen barged into a Colorado family’s home and attacked two children in what could be an alarming new trend, an expert and police say.
The kids’ anguished parents – who were not home at the time of the June 12 home invasion – witnessed the fake delivery men enter their house on a Ring doorbell.
The men allegedly attacked the babysitter and assaulted two children – a 14-year-old girl and a six-year-old boy, according to a release from the Aurora Police Department.
“It’s an old crime with a new twist,” said retired NYPD Sgt. Joseph Giacalone, who is a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. “These guys are always looking for a new way to get into your house, and I’m sure police are very worried about whether this is a growing pattern.”
BEWARE OF THESE DOORBELL CAMERAS THAT COULD BE COMPROMISED BY CYBERCRIMINALS
Stills images from a Colorado home invasion show a burglar dressed as a deliveryman and a six-year-old boy sobbing in the aftermath of the ordeal. (KDVR )
A tactic criminals once used was trying to gain access to a home by posing as utility workers, Giacalone said. However, this approach is no longer effective with workers wearing distinct uniforms and carrying identification cards, he added.
The terrifying Colorado home invasion that took place about 10 miles from downtown Denver is the latest in a string of robberies involving fake delivery workers.
The ordeal unfolded a little after 8:30 p.m., when one of the suspects approached the door wearing a bright orange vest and carrying a box, according to footage obtained by KDVR.
“They were dressed in construction vests and claimed they were there to drop a package off. The suspects were holding a package and waited for the residents of the home to open the door,” the Aurora Police Department said. “When they did, the suspects forced their way in and robbed the family.”
WATCH VIDEO OF ARMED ROBBERS BURST INTO COLORADO HOME:
One of the people inside the home opened the door slightly, and the man wearing the vest immediately pushed his way in.
He then began yelling at two accomplices in Spanish that he had gained access.
Ring camera footage showed one of the men holding what appeared to be a gun in his hand as he barged into the home and another suspect exiting a car that was idling outside to join them.
The teen girl was touched inappropriately during the roughly one-minute ransacking, which netted the thieves jewelry and cash, her mother told KDVR.
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Colorado parents of two children who were assaulted after a terrifying home invasion on June 12. The boy is shown sobbing and crying for his mother. (KDVR)
The babysitter and young boy were also shoved to the ground during the break-in.
The homeowners called police after being alerted to the intruders by their Ring camera.
The kids’ mother said her son – who can be seen crying after police arrive – is badly traumatized by the incident.
Their mother said she was deeply frightened by the attack and that she fears long-term damage to her kids.
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The Colorado home was targeted by armed burglars posing as deliverymen. (KDVR)
Police departments across the country have warned homeowners to be careful about opening their doors to strangers after a spate of home invasions.
A burglar posing as a DoorDash driver was killed last year in Indiana when the homeowner pulled out a gun and shot the intruder, FOX59 reported.
In November, a pair of armed robbers posed as deliverymen and forced their way into a New York City home to steal $70,000 in valuables. The victims were bound in duct tape, according to the NYPD.
A fake deliveryman donning an orange fluorescent vest and clutching a manila envelope tried to storm into a Connecticut home with a gun last year, but the owner shoved him and slammed the door.
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Ring camera shows an armed man posing as a delivery worker in Connecticut after the homeowner thwarted the attempted burglary by shoving him from his porch and slamming the door. (East Haven Police Department / LOCAL NEWS X /TMX)
Giacalone said that the most important precaution to “prevent something terrible from happening to your family” is to verify the identity of the delivery person.
“If someone knocks on the door saying you need to sign for a package request to see their ID, whether through a window, a peephole or a door camera,” he suggested.
Homeowners, he added, should also peer out their windows to ensure there is a UPS or Amazon truck parked nearby.
Fox News Digital’s Emmett Jones contributed to this report.
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Jon Anderson will be charged with moving the Orem school forward following the death of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk on campus last year.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Incoming UVU President Jon Anderson poses for a photo with his family after an event announcing his selection at Utah Valley University in Orem on Friday, July 17, 2026.
Wyoming
Wyoming Supreme Court upholds 125- to 175-year conviction for Steven Marler after child sexual abuse trial in 2025
CASPER, Wyo. — The Wyoming Supreme Court has upheld the 2025 conviction of Steven Randall Marler, 52, who was sentenced to 125 to 175 years in prison on eight felony counts of sexually abusing two girls under his foster or adoptive care at his home on Casper Mountain. Marler was also convicted of five misdemeanor batteries and a count of child endangerment. He was found not guilty of sexual abusing another two other minors in the family, including the one who had first brought forward allegations in 2016.
The Supreme Court opinion noted that discrepancies in her testimony from previous statements were revealed at trial.
The appeal claimed that the Natrona County court where the trial was held improperly admitted testimony about physical abuse and Marler’s insistence that the children give him massages, which they said he referred to as a “daddy tax.”
The massages did not result in charges, and Wyoming courts are strict in disallowing evidence of “prior bad acts” for uncharged conduct that might color the opinion of the jury about whether the defendant is guilty of the actual charges.
The opinion released Friday and written by Justice Robert C. Jarosh noted that the Natrona Court, under Judge Kerri Johnson, had multiple hearings before the trial about whether the state should be allowed to introduce that evidence. It can only do so under specific circumstances, such as establishing a course of conduct relevant to “grooming behavior” and illustrating the power Marler held over the children and his ability and motivation in carrying out the abuse.
“The “daddy tax” massage evidence demonstrated a predictable, recurring pattern of behavior that directly illuminated Mr. Marler’s motive and systematic course of conduct,” the opinion reads. “The “daddy tax” massage evidence demonstrated a clear behavioral pattern and provided relevant context about how Mr. Marler targeted and groomed the children by exploiting his parental role and initiating abuse through seemingly innocent touching — all as a means to gratify his sexual desires.”
The opinion also noted that the jury had been properly instructed not to infer guilt based on the testimony about uncharged behavior they might find off-putting.
The appeal attorneys also argued that evidence of punishment in the form of spanking, exercise and withholding food was not relevant to the charged crimes and unfairly prejudicial to Marler.
“However, we agree with the district court this evidence was relevant to show Mr. Marler’s intent and motive to gain submission by the victims,” Friday’s opinion said.
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