Skiba and Chivers Billboard
Families Seek Cold-Case Squads
Carlos Luna Billboard
Reprisal! Vandals strike back at victim's mother
Justice Reward Program Launches Tigges $100,000 Poster

FOHVAMP Scores Great Media Coverage From News Conference
FOHVAMP News Conference releases database of victims compiled over five and one-half years as well as poll showing Colorado Taxpayers are willing to support Cold Case Team at CBI with $3,000,000.

• http://cbs4denver.com/crime/colorado.cold.case.2.680374.html
  
• http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=88436
• http://cw2.trb.com/news/kwgn-cold-case-push,0,6401677.story
• http://www.montrosepress.com/articles/2008/03/15/news/doc47dc7862d84d1414945133.txt
• http://www.montrosepress.com/articles/2008/03/15/news/doc47dc797ebfbd5477845651.txt
• www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/mar/20/victims-group-urges-funding-for-colorados-cold/
• http://greeleytrib.com/article/20080320/NEWS/799844016
• http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_8752376
• http://fox21news.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=112861
• http://www.metronorthnews.com/story.php?id=101.4
• http://www.milehighnews.com/Articles-i-2008-03-27 205929.114125_Coldcase_victims_named_in_Jeffco.html
• http://www.coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080322/NEWS01/803220356

News 2
http://cw2.trb.com/news/kwgn-cold-case-profile,0,1600459.story?coll=kwgn-home-2

KKTV
http://www.kktv.com/news/headlines/10524777.html

News 2
http://cw2.trb.com/news/kwgn-cold-case-rally,0,2490265.story?coll=kwgn-home-2

The State Legislarure passed HB07-1272, the bill to provide state-level resources to address the unsolved murders of our loved ones. It was signed into law by Governor Ritter on June 1. This law sets up the structure for what we want. It empowers the family of the victim to ask law enforcement to call CBI into the case.

This new law creates the Cold Case task force (on which we have five out of fifteen members). Permits the task force to review Cold Case homicide investigation methods and take testimony from victims' family members and the public. Beginning October 1, 2008, requires the task force to report annually to the general assembly.

It creates a cold case team ("team") in the Colorado bureau of investigation. Requires the team to develop a database that will contain the homicide files of all open homicide cases in the state. Requires all law enforcement agencies in the state to provide a copy of all homicide investigation files for cases that have been open for more than 3 years to the team for inclusion in the database.

It provides that a family member of a homicide victim may request their local law enforcement agency to ask the CBI team for assistance in investigating the homicide. If local law enforcement declines to do this, they must inform the family member of their reasons in writing.

Even though there will be only one member on the CBI's Cold Case Team the first year, this will be a great start for the additional resources that are so much needed to address our unsolved homicides.

Families Seek Cold-Case Squads

Howard Morton, a spokesman for Families of Homicide Victims and Missing Persons, made the plea at Colorado's observance of National Crime Victims' Rights Week, attended by hundreds at the Wellington E. Webb Municipal Office Building in Denver.

Morton's son was killed 30 years ago. He said that a three-year survey of Colorado law enforcement officials revealed a vast number of unsolved murders.

"Three out of 10 murders go unpunished in Colorado," Morton said. "There are killers walking among us. There are murderers living in our neighborhoods. Most of these have never been arrested or prosecuted."

He said the 1,000 unresolved homicides have occurred since 1970, and there are 40 new cold-case homicides added each year.

Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey told the audience that the DA's office and Denver police are doing everything they can to solve cold-case sexual assault and homicide cases.

"So far we have reviewed over 2,000 cases. And of those 2,000 cases, there have been 460 requests for DNA testing," Morrissey said.

He said investigators have had 56 "hits," which means there has been a match with a DNA profile in the national database.

Because of the effort, his office has filed nine cases and is working on more, he said.