West
Man who was on parole after prior violent offenses now accused in 4 murders
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A Colorado parolee once classified as a “very high” risk of reoffending is now charged in four separate killings across three counties — including three counts of first-degree murder tied to an alleged 2025 crime spree.
Ricky Lee Roybal-Smith, 38, faces two counts of first-degree murder in Adams County, one count of first-degree murder in Denver and a newly filed second-degree murder charge in Arapahoe County connected to a 2022 death.
He is being held without bond in the Denver jail, prosecutors confirmed.
In 2022, Roybal-Smith was accused of threatening customers at a retail store. One day later, a woman named Meg Eberhart was found unconscious at a light rail station and died days later, 9NEWS reported. Police suspected foul play and focused on Roybal-Smith, who was on parole for a previous offense at the time. But prosecutors did not file charges because the coroner ruled her cause of death “undetermined.”
FAMILY WARNED NONPROFIT NOT TO FREE REPEAT OFFENDER WHO ALLEGEDLY KILLED MAN DAYS LATER
Ricky Lee Roybal-Smith is facing multiple murder charges across three Colorado counties, according to prosecutors. (Denver Police Department)
Instead, Roybal-Smith was sentenced to four years in prison for the incident at the retail store.
REPEAT OFFENDER ON PAROLE FOR MURDER TIED TO BRUTAL JAIL ASSAULT, ESCAPE HOURS AFTER ROBBERY
According to 9NEWS, Roybal-Smith later became eligible for parole and was released in January 2025 after his risk level had been downgraded from “very high” to “moderate.”
Within months, police allege he launched a violent spree in Aurora.
According to police and the Adams County Coroner’s Office, Roybal-Smith brutally stabbed two homeless men to death in separate attacks. Authorities alleged one of the homeless men was stabbed roughly 90 times.
MURDER SUSPECT IN BALTIMORE ROBBERY SPREE WAS ON PROBATION, RECORDS SHOW
An Aurora Police vehicle is seen at a crime scene after authorities arrested Ricky Lee Roybal-Smith in connection with a series of killings and violent incidents across the Denver metro area. (Aurora Police Department)
LISTEN TO THE NEW ‘CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO’ PODCAST
Later that same day, Roybal-Smith was arrested in Denver in connection with an alleged hit-and-run involving two pedestrians, according to Law & Crime.
After being booked into jail, his cellmate, 36-year-old Vincent Chacon, was found dead within hours.
The Denver Office of the Medical Examiner ruled Chacon’s death a homicide caused by “asphyxia due to external compression of the neck,” or strangulation. Roybal-Smith was charged with first-degree murder in that case. He was also charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection to the homeless men’s stabbing deaths.
In addition, prosecutors charged Roybal-Smith with second-degree murder in connection to Eberhart’s 2022 death.
“While the manner of the death ruling of the Arapahoe County Coroner has not changed, our office continued to review the evidence… and have determined that the Second-Degree Murder charge is appropriate at this time,” Assistant District Attorney Ryan Brackley told Fox News Digital. “As with every case we file, we will only pursue charges when we believe the evidence can reasonably prove the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt in court.”
District Attorney Amy Padden added that while her office does not control parole decisions, the case raises broader concerns.
“We are aware of several cases in which repeat, violent offenders have been released from prison to parole earlier than expected only to go on to commit additional crimes,” Padden said. “The privilege of parole should only be granted when there is substantial evidence of rehabilitation, acceptance of accountability, and lack of danger to the community.”
An Arapahoe County spokesperson emphasized that Roybal-Smith is not on the streets and remains in custody on a no-bond hold related to his Denver case.
HORROR VIDEO CAPTURES REPEAT OFFENDER ALLEGEDLY ATTACKING 75-YEAR-OLD WOMAN, GOUGING HER EYE WITH SPIKED STICK
Interior view of the Arapahoe County Detention Center in Colorado, used as a reference image in a case involving multiple homicide charges in the Denver metro area. (RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post)
A 9NEWS Investigates series previously reported that Roybal-Smith’s assessment scores contained errors and that he had been downgraded before his release.
GOT A TIP?
Fox News Digital reached out to the Colorado Department of Corrections and the Colorado State Board of Parole for comment but did not receive responses by publication.
George Brauchler, a Republican district attorney for Colorado’s 23rd Judicial District, said the case reflects broader sentencing and parole policy changes.
FOLLOW US ON X
“We Lead with our humanity” sign at Van Cise-Simonet Detention Center in Denver, Colorado, on Thursday, August 3, 2023. (Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)
GET BREAKING NEWS BY EMAIL
“This gets attention because it’s so incredibly huge — a guy killed three people and menaced someone else,” Brauchler said. “But parole violators occur everywhere all the time.”
Brauchler argued Colorado has reduced incarceration levels even as its population has grown.
George Brauchler, a Republican district attorney for Colorado’s 23rd Judicial District, said dangerous people are being put back on the street. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE FOR MORE US NEWS
“The simple answer is this state, through the legislature and the governor and the parole board, has made a conscious decision that we choose to put these people back out on the street and put the community at risk more than we want to spend the tax dollars to keep them incarcerated,” he said.
Colorado Senate Minority Leader Cleave Simpson also criticized the state’s parole system, calling the case a “serious failure” in Colorado’s criminal justice system.
“These latest charges in this tragic case highlight a serious failure in Colorado’s criminal justice system,” Simpson said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Families are grieving today because he was allowed back onto our streets.”
Simpson said the case underscores the need to strengthen parole oversight and ensure violent offenders serve appropriate sentences.
“Parole must never become a revolving door for violent offenders,” he said. “Public safety must remain the top priority here in Colorado.”
He added that government agencies must be held accountable if system failures contributed to repeat offenses.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Eberhart’s daughter, Zada Veniegas, previously told 9NEWS she felt relief upon learning prosecutors had finally filed charges in her mother’s death.
“At least the fact of what he did is being acknowledged on the legal end of things,” she said. “I think it’s important that she wasn’t forgotten.”
Roybal-Smith is scheduled for an arraignment in Adams County on March 30 and remains in custody on a no-bond hold.
Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to stepheny.price@fox.com.
Read the full article from Here
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — According to a new audit, the San Francisco Zoo violated city rules by spending $12 million on projects without required approval.
The report looks at the zoo’s finances from 2019 to last year. It claims the zoo was operating under a budget deficit for years while dealing with failures in management and financial planning.
Zoo officials must get permission from the city’s Park and Rec Commission for projects worth more than $50,000.
The report also details claims from zoo employees, saying the zoo has a toxic work environment because of favoritism and discrimination.
KRON4 received the below statement from the zoo’s CEO.
We appreciate the thorough work of the audit team and welcome recommendations that will strengthen the Zoo’s operations and long-term sustainability. Many improvements are already underway, and we are committed to implementing the remaining recommendations. We are grateful to the Mayor, Supervisor Melgar, and Rec and Park for working with us on a responsible loan structure that gives the Zoo the ability to continue this progress and fully deliver on the audit’s recommendations.
San Francisco Zoo CEO Cassandra Costello
The zoo is facing a more than $6 million budget deficit.
Ken Roczen led Hunter Lawrence into Round 16 at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver with a four-point advantage and a newly acquired red plate. With Lawrence’s win and the reduction of three points, the two riders head to Salt Lake City in a winner-take-all scenario.
Lawrence won his heat, while Roczen finished third in Heat 2.
Lawrence took the feature lead early, and once he sniffed clean air, he steadily increased his gap on second.
“It’s good,” Lawrence told Peacock’s Will Christien. “[At the] five-second board, I’m just so excited. Let’s go out, have fun, and do what I love to do. It couldn’t have been much better than that.”
Lawrence cut the championship deficit to a single point heading into the season finale. The two riders each have five victories.
If Lawrence and Roczen manage to tie in points, which will happen if they finish in the middle of the pack with Lawrence on spot ahead of Roczen, the tiebreaker would come down to second-place results. Lawrence finished second five times early in the season; Roczen has two runner-up results.
Meanwhile, Roczen had a modest start and had to come through the pack. Once he settled into second, he lost the tow of the leader, and ultimately lost more than 12 seconds to Lawrence.
Returning from an injury suffered in Cleveland, Eli Tomac thrilled the hometown crowd with the final podium position. He stalled his bike in sand in the opening laps but executed Beast Mode in the middle stage of the feature.
Fourth-place Malcolm Stewart and Chase Sexton rounded out the top five.
In-Race Notes
Jorge Prado earned the holeshot, but Lawrence took the lead quickly.
Roczen slotted into fourth on the opening lap. There is a five-point gap between first and third in Supercross scoring.
But Roczen secured second from Prado on Lap 3, and trimmed three points from the gap.
Roczen lost 4.5 seconds to Lawrence as he made his way into second.
The third title contender, Cooper Webb, took third from Prado on Lap 5.
Lawrence had the flow in the opening laps. He extended his lead to 6.2 seconds on Lap 7.
Tomac stalled in the sand and fell outside the top five, but found his rhythm and climbed to fourth on Lap 8. Webb lost a position to Prado earlier in that lap.
Lawrence was on a rail, forcing Roczen to ride on the edge of his comfort zone.
A little further back in the field, Justin Barcia was sixth on Lap 10 in his second race back.
Tomac secured third from Prado on Lap 12.
Roczen fell to eight seconds behind on Lap 13. Eight minutes remained on the clock.
The top three settled into a rhythm with seven minutes on the clock. The gap between them was slowly widening.
Cooper and Dylan Ferrandis tangled while challenging for sixth.
One lap later, Webb tangled with Jorge Prado, and both riders lost momentum. Webb hit the dirt and dropped outside the top 10. That ended his dim hope of securing a fourth Supercross championship.
Malcolm Stewart moved into fifth.
One lap later, Stewart grabbed fourth from Sexton.
In all the chaos, Justin Barcia (eighth) climbed into the top 10 in his second race after returning from a scary crash in the season opener at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California.
Seattle Mariners slugger Cal Raleigh is day-to-day with “general soreness” after being pulled from the lineup before Saturday’s game, manager Dan Wilson told reporters after a 3-2 loss in 10 innings against the Kansas City Royals.
Wilson said Raleigh underwent imaging, though he did not specify what on, and the team will assess their star catcher’s status Sunday.
“We’re trying to be as cautious as possible,” Wilson said.
Raleigh was originally slated to start at catcher and bat second in the middle game of the three-game series, but he was scratched from the lineup about 90 minutes before first pitch.
Mitch Garver got the start in place of Raleigh and went 1 for 4 at the plate and struck out three times, including to lead off the 10th inning.
Saturday’s game was the first Raleigh has missed this season. He had started 32 of the previous 33, including 25 at catcher, and came in as a pinch-hitter in the only game he didn’t start.
Raleigh is batting .186 with a .652 OPS, seven homers and four doubles this season. He has hit five home runs in his past 10 games.
Raleigh finished as the American League MVP runner-up during a record-setting campaign in 2025. He led baseball with 60 home runs, setting single-season MLB records for most home runs by a catcher and switch-hitter, as well as the Mariners’ single-season homer mark. Raleigh also drove in an AL-best 125 RBIs while hitting .247 with a .948 OPS.
The Mariners added a third catcher to their 26-man roster shortly after Raleigh was scratched from the lineup. Jhonny Pereda was called up from Triple-A Tacoma and infielder Will Wilson was placed on the 10-day injured list with fractured left thumb.
More on the Seattle Mariners
• Seattle Mariners to honor Randy Johnson with statue in 2027
• Mariners promote pitcher from Double-A to majors
• A factor that can help Cole Young earn All-Star nod
• Mariners Injury Update: Latest on Miller, Robles and more
• Seattle Mariners place Matt Brash on IL, recall lefty reliever
-
Lifestyle5 minutes agoFor Clockshop’s Kite Festival, build a newspaper kite using The Times’ Weekend section
-
Politics11 minutes agoCole Allen’s journey from young athlete and Caltech grad to accused gunman in D.C. attack
-
Sports23 minutes agoFormer Corona Centennial star Camryn Bynum giving back to community
-
World35 minutes ago
'No strategy' behind Trump's withdrawal of NATO troops from Germany, sources say
-
News1 hour agoSearch underway for 2 U.S. service members missing amid training exercise in Morocco
-
New York3 hours ago‘Every Child Walking by Stared at My New Purple Hair’
-
Detroit, MI3 hours agoDetroit school district to showcase student stars at Fox Theatre
-
San Francisco, CA3 hours agoAudit says San Francisco Zoo spent $12M without required approval