Colorado

Family will oppose parole for woman who hid body parts after Colorado murder

Published

2 years ago

January 17, 2024

Family will oppose parole for woman who hid body parts after Colorado murder

It was five years this week since 28-year-old Joseph Brinson was shot and killed by the friend of a roommate in a conspiracy that led to the convictions of three people. Brinson was killed after being in dispute with roommate William Irvine, now 31, who later pleaded guilty to 2nd degree murder. Brinson was shot by Blake Quinlan, now 23, and doing life without parole for 1st degree murder as the one accused of pulling the trigger. Brinson was shot at a home on South Mica Mine Gulch Road several miles south of Tiny Town on January 16, 2019.

Murder victim Joseph Brinson.

CBS

Also convicted in the case was Lia Atencio, who was 17 at the time of the killing. Now 22, she admitted to a role in helping to dispose of the body, which was dismembered in the basement of the home and later dumped in Byers.

The family of Joseph Brinson remains upset that she has done little time for the convictions. On Wednesday this week, they plan on protesting the potential of parole for Atencio when she has a hearing about her parole eligibility.

“This is not somebody who is remorseful,” said Amy Frost, an aunt serving as spokesperson for the family. “I’m going to tell them all of the horrible details of what she’s done to my nephew. I’m going to tell them all of the opportunities that she has squandered — the leniency that the law has given her.”

Atencio played a particularly gruesome role in the coverup of the crime. In addition to going over the home to help place the cut up remains of Brinson in bags, she assisted bringing them out to Byers to dump them. Months later when the three were concerned about the ability to identify Brinson’s remains from dental records, she went out to Byers and retrieved the bag with his severed head and attempted to pull the teeth. Later, she admitted she drove a car over the head after getting frustrated at her inability to remove the teeth. She then moved the head to a different location away from the other remains.

Initially, Atencio was given six years probation for her role after she agreed to testify in the case against the other two defendants on the charges of accessory to crime and tampering with a deceased human body. The cases took a long time during the pandemic to wind through the court system. During much of that, Atencio served jail time, a total of over 700 days. Ultimately when she was given parole, the family says the judge indicated any slipups and she’d be back and sentenced to a potential of 12 years on the two charges.

In September 2023, Atencio was back in court after being accused in other crimes, including a DUI. A new judge sentenced her to two terms served concurrently, meaning six years rather than 12. The 700-plus days were subtracted as time served and she was sent to prison, where she remains at the La Veta Correctional Facility. But there is parole eligibility after half of time is served and in Colorado and more credit is given for each month served, reducing a sentence. Ultimately it means that Atencio is eligible for release in April of this year.

“We support the family’s request that she not be released early,” said Brionna Boatright, spokesperson for the office of First Judicial District Attorney Alexis King, pointing out that the DA had asked for the 12-year sentence.

The family plans to appeal to the parole board to keep Atencio locked up, troubled by the gruesome nature of the crime.

“I feel like the law has failed Joe in this sense with Lila. And I absolutely feel that she is a danger to the community …The punishment definitely does not fit the crime,” Amy Frost said. “At some point, the well runs dry. You cannot continue to give somebody these opportunities, especially for something so horrific. This is not somebody who needs to be put back out into society.”

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Colorado

Colorado residents should prepare for Xcel power outages this week as fire danger surges, utility says

Published

2 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

Colorado residents should prepare for Xcel power outages this week as fire danger surges, utility says

Xcel Energy is warning its customers along the Front Range to be prepared for possible power outages this week as the risk of wildfire surges due to hot and dry weather.

“Due to the elevated risk of wildfire, enhanced powerline safety settings are active across out Front Range service territory,” according to a social media post from the utility. The settings make the powerlines more sensitive and prompt a line to stop the flow of electricity if an object touches a line.

The highest risk for wildfire danger will be Thursday, Friday and Saturday, when strong gusty winds are forecasted, according to the National Weather Service.

Humidity could be as low as 10% and winds may top 25 mph, leading to critical and extremely critical fire weather between Thursday and Saturday, forecasters said.

Tens of thousands of customers have lost power in recent months from planned outages during fire danger and powerline damage from high winds.

In December, 86,040 Xcel customers lost power because of a mix of planned shutoffs and downed powerlines from high winds. The decision led some customers to criticize the utility, asking it to fine-tune its weather responses.

Some schools in northern Colorado schools preemptively canceled classes in January after Xcel announced a planned power shutoff for 9,000 customers in the area.

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Colorado

An Evening Against Edmonton | Colorado Avalanche

Published

14 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

An Evening Against Edmonton | Colorado Avalanche

Edmonton Oilers (31-25-8) @ Colorado Avalanche (43-10-9)

8 p.m. MT | Ball Arena | Watch: TNT, truTV, HBO Max | Listen: Altitude Sports Radio (92.5 FM)

After back-to-back shootout victories, the Avalanche concludes its two-game homestand on Tuesday against the Edmonton Oilers. This game is an Avalanche Cup Classic, presented by KeyBank, which will honor the 2022 Avs team that won the Stanley Cup and defeated the Oilers in the Western Conference Final. Tuesday’s game is the second of three regular-season meetings between the teams, as the Avalanche won 9-1 in Edmonton on November 8th, and they’ll play in Alberta on April 13th.

Sunday Success

The Avalanche defeated the Minnesota Wild 3-2 in a shootout on Sunday at Ball Arena. Nathan MacKinnon and Nicolas Roy both scored for Colorado while Nazem Kadri posted an assist in his second Avs debut. In net for Colorado, Scott Wedgewood stopped 32 of the 34 shots he faced. MacKinnon opened the scoring at 12:19 of the second period with his 43rd goal of the season via a right-circle one-timer set up by Kadri, who began the play with an interception below the offensive-zone goal line. Kirill Kaprizov tied the game for Minnesota with a power-play goal at 4:17 of the third period when his pass from the right circle deflected into the net. The Wild took a 2-1 lead at 7:01 of the third period when Nico Sturm scored a shorthanded breakaway. Colorado tied the game at 12:39 of the third period when Nicolas Roy scored his first goal as an Av and sixth of the season via a net-front deflection on Brett Kulak’s slap shot. In the shootout, Valeri Nichushkin scored for Colorado in the first round, Matt Boldy scored for Minnesota in the second round and MacKinnon tallied the winner in the fourth round.

Leading the Way

Nate the Great

MacKinnon leads the NHL in goals (43) while ranking second in points (104) and third in assists (61).

All Hail Cale

Among NHL defensemen, Cale Makar is tied for second in points (66) while ranking fourth in goals (19) and assists (47).

Marty Party

Martin Necas is tied for seventh in the NHL in points (76).

Series History

In 135 regular-season games against the Oilers, the Avalanche has a record of 74-49-6-6. The teams have met three times in the playoffs, with the Avs winning the 1997 Western Conference Semifinals in five games and the 2022 Western Conference Final in four contests.

Sunday in Sin City

The Oilers defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 at T-Mobile Arena on Sunday. In the second period, Trent Frederic opened the scoring for Edmonton at 3:21 before Vegas’ Noah Hanifin tied the game at 13:09. The Oilers took a 3-1 third-period lead after goals from Vasily Podkolzin at 2:34 and Leon Draisaitl at 11:53. Jack Eichel cut the Golden Knights’ deficit to one with a shorthanded goal at 16:43 of the third period. Edmonton took a 4-2 lead when Kasperi Kapanen scored an empty-net goal at 18:03 of the third period.

Producing Offense Against the Oilers

MacKinnon has posted 39 points (13g/26a) in 29 regular-season games against the Oilers, in addition to five points (3g/2a) in four playoff contests.

Makar has registered 13 points (5g/8a) in 13 regular-season contests against Edmonton, in addition to nine points (2g/7a) in four playoff games.

Kadri has recorded 25 points (12g/13a) in 30 regular-season games against the Oilers, in addition to four points (1g/3a) in three playoff contests.

Edmonton’s Elite

Connor McDavid leads the Oilers in points (108), goals (35) and assists (73).

Draisaitl is second on the Oilers in points (92), goals (34) and assists (58).

Evan Bouchard is third on the Oilers in points (73) and assists (55) while ranking fourth in goals (18).

A Numbers Game

34

The Avalanche are 34-0-0 when leading after the second period this season.

85

Colorado leads the NHL with 85 second-period goals this campaign.

.806

The Avalanche’s .806 points percentage at home this season is the best in the NHL.

Quote That Left a Mark

“Emotional seeing the support I get here. It’s absolutely incredible. It makes me want to play harder for these fans and this team.”

— Nazem Kadri on the support he received from Avalanche fans at Sunday’s game

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Colorado

Colorado Rockies spring training game no. 17 thread: Kyle Freeland vs. Jedisxson Paez

Published

1 day ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

Colorado Rockies spring training game no. 17 thread: Kyle Freeland vs. Jedisxson Paez

In his first spring training action of 2026, Kyle Freeland faced the daunting task of pitching against Team USA in an exhibition game on March 4. He gave up a solo homer to Aaron Judge in a two-hit, one-strikeout performance in one inning.

Today, Freeland and the Rockies (8-6-1) will take part in his first Cactus League action against the White Sox (10-7) at Camelback Ranch. The Rockies are 5-2 on the road this spring vs. 3-5-1, including the showdown vs. Team USA, at Salt River Fields.

Today’s game represents a rematch of a Feb. 23 showdown where the Rockies beat the White Sox 5-4. Chicago will send Jedisxson Paez to the mound to start the game. The 22-year-old RHP will be making his third spring appearance. He’s posted a 23.14 ERA in 2 1/3 innings over two starts with six earned runs, six hits, including one homer, three strikeouts and one walk. Former Rockie Drew Romo will be starting at catcher for the White Sox.

On Sunday, four pitchers combined to throw five scoreless innings and Kyle Karros and Tyler Freeman each had two-hit performances in the Rockies 4-4 tie with Cleveland. Even though it’s only spring training, the Rockies offense has been much improved thus far. The Rockies rank among all Major League teams this Spring in: on-base percentage (.381, T-1st), home runs (23, T-4th), average (.287, 3rd), HBP (14, T-2nd), slugging (.492, 3rd), OPS (.871, 3rd), runs scored (98, 5th), RBI (91, 6th) and total bases (254, 6th).

Earlier on Monday, the Rockies released a new motto for the 2026 campaign: “New era. At altitude. We are here for the climb.”

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