AMBER ALERT for Missing 10 YO Jessica Ridgeway, Westminster, CO(BODY FOUND)

[texasmom]

http://www.coloradoan.com/article/20131001/NEWS11/310010015/Possible-plea-deal-killing-10-year-old-Jessica-Ridgeway

Possible plea deal in killing of 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway
 Oct. 1, 2013 10:47 AM 

GOLDEN, Colo. (AP) — A judge is set to consider a possible plea deal on Tuesday for a teen charged with killing and sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl kidnapped on her way to school in suburban Denver.

The hearing comes two days before Austin Sigg, 18, is set to stand trial and nearly a year after Jessica Ridgeway’s disappearance set communities on edge. Lawyers and court officials declined to release details of the possible plea, citing a gag order in the case.

 

[texasmom]

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57605493-504083/jessica-ridgeway-update-possible-plea-deal-in-killing-of-colo-schoolgirl/

October 1, 2013 1:22 PM

Jessica Ridgeway Update: Possible plea deal in killing of Colo. schoolgirl

By Crimesider Staff Topics Daily Blotter

(CBS/AP) GOLDEN, Colo. - A judge is set to consider a possible plea deal on Tuesday for a teen charged with killing and sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl kidnapped on her way to school in suburban Denver.

The hearing comes two days before Austin Sigg, 18, is set to stand trial and nearly a year after Jessica Ridgeway's disappearance. Lawyers and court officials declined to release details of the possible plea, citing a gag order in the case.

Sigg was arrested two weeks after Jessica disappeared when his mother called police telling them her son had confessed to her.

Detectives say Sigg admitted to killing the fifth-grader, but denied sexually assaulting her.

If convicted, he could face life in prison but could be paroled after 40 years. Sigg can't get the death penalty because he was 17 at the time of the slaying.

 

[MuffyBee]

http://newsok.com/colorado-teen-pleads-guilty-to-murder-in-kidnap-slaying-and-dismemberment-of-10-year-old-girl/article/feed/598655
Colo. teen pleads guilty in killing of school girl
Modified: October 1, 2013 at 3:36 pm • Published: October 1, 2013

GOLDEN, Colo. (AP) — A Colorado teen has pleaded guilty to murder and kidnapping in the kidnap-slaying and dismemberment of a 10-year-old girl that panicked Denver-area residents last year.
 
Police say Sigg had confessed to the crime and that officers discovered of some of the girl's remains at his home.

[texasmom]

http://denver.cbslocal.com/2013/10/01/austin-sigg-pleads-guilty-to-jessica-ridgeways-murder/

Austin Sigg Pleads Guilty To Jessica Ridgeway’s Murder
October 1, 2013 2:46 PM

AP, CBS4 News, Local, News

GOLDEN, Colo. (AP) – A Colorado teen pleaded guilty Tuesday to kidnapping and murdering a 10-year-old girl in a case that panicked Denver-area residents last year.

Austin Sigg, 18, entered the pleas in the death of Jessica Ridgeway in the Denver suburb of Westminster.

Police said Sigg had confessed to the crime and that officers discovered of some of the girl’s remains at his home.

The plea came two days before Sigg was set to stand trial and nearly a year after the girl’s disappearance set communities on edge. Lawyers and court officials previously declined to release details of the plea, citing a gag order in the case.

 

[texasmom]

http://kdvr.com/2013/10/01/austin-sigg-in-court-tues-for-possible-plea-in-ridgeway-case/

BREAKING NEWS: Judge accepts Austin Sigg guilty plea
Judge accepts Austin Sigg guilty plea in Jessica Ridgeway murder case
Posted on: 10:25 am, October 1, 2013, by Thomas Hendrick, updated on: 03:00pm, October 1, 2013

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — Almost a year after Jessica Ridgeway disappeared while walking to her Westminster school, the man accused of killing her plead guilty to charges Tuesday.

The judge accepted Austin Sigg’s guilty plea, even though his attorneys advised him to do otherwise.

Sigg will be sentenced at another date.

Prosecutors said they want Sigg to serve consecutive sentences for the charges against him. Such a sentence could mean Sigg’s sentence would “exceed his natural life,” they said.

Sigg’s defense attorneys asked the judge for his sentence to be served concurrently due to  juvenile guidelines.  Sigg was 17 when he was arrested, but was charged as an adult.

[texasmom]

http://www.krdo.com/news/austin-sigg-admits-to-killing-jessica-ridgeway/-/417220/22217482/-/74psg1/-/index.html

Austin Sigg admits to killing Jessica Ridgeway

Chris Loveless, Digital Content Director , c.loveless@krdo.com
POSTED: 02:44 PM MDT Oct 01, 2013
UPDATED: 02:48 PM MDT Oct 01, 2013

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. -
The man who was accused of kidnapping, raping and dismembering a 10-year-old Colorado girl has reached a plea deal with prosecutors.


Austin Sigg, 18, pleaded guilty on all charges Tuesday (10/1/13).

KMGH-TV reporter Amanda Kost was in the courtroom when Sigg entered the plea. She reports that Chief Judge Stephen M. Munsinger asked, "To all of these charges, how do you plea?" Sigg, who wore dress clothes in court, responded, "Guilty your honor."

The charges Sigg pleaded guilty to included kidnapping, sexual assault and murder.

Sigg entered the guilty plea against the advice of his attorney. He faces a sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole in 40 years, KMGH reported. Sigg cannot face the death penalty because he was 17 at the time of his crimes.

 

Sigg also pleaded guilty to attempting to kidnap a jogger at Kettner Lake in Westminster, according to KMGH.

[grace-land]

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/10/01/20777807-colorado-teen-pleads-guilty-to-dismembering-10-year-old-girl''

1 hour ago
Colorado teen pleads guilty to dismembering 10-year-old girl

 
Austin Reed Sigg, 18, pleaded guilty in Jefferson County District Court two days before he was scheduled to go trial for the slaying of Jessica Ridgeway, district attorney Peter Weir said in a statement.

"He has been held fully accountable for his criminal acts," Weir said. "There was no plea bargain. No charges were dismissed as part of a plea bargain."
 
On Monday, Sigg's public defenders contacted the district attorney's office to say their client wanted to plead guilty to all the charges lodged against him, over their objections.

Sigg was 17 and at the time of the killing, but was charged as an adult.

He faces life in prison when he is sentenced at a two-day hearing scheduled for mid-November.

[texasmom]

Video at the link

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/jessica-ridgeway/justice-for-jessica-austin-sigg-pleads-guilty-to-kidnapping-murder-of-jessica-ridgeway

Justice for Jessica: Austin Sigg pleads guilty to kidnapping, murder of Jessica Ridgeway
Guilty plea entered against attorneys' advice

Posted: 10/01/2013
Last Updated: 4 hours ago

Amanda Kost Amanda Kost  | Email Me
Phil Tenser Phil Tenser  | Email Me

WESTMINSTER, Colo. - The teenager accused of kidnapping and murdering Jessica Ridgeway one year ago pleaded guilty to the grisly crime. Austin Sigg entered the plea just hours before opening statements were scheduled to begin in his trial.

The teenager's plea was announced and accepted during a 2 p.m. hearing at Jefferson County Court.

Chief Judge Stephen M. Munsinger asked, "To all of these charges, how do you plea?"

Sigg, who wore dress clothes in court, responded, "Guilty, your honor."

Sigg entered the guilty plea Tuesday against his attorneys' advice. He pleaded guilty to all counts, which included kidnapping, sex assault and murder in the Ridgeway case. He also pleaded guilty to the attempted kidnapping of a jogger at Ketner Lake.

On the murder charge alone, Sigg faces a sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years. Sentencing is scheduled for November 18-19.

 

The families of Ridgeway and Sigg were both in the courtroom wearing purple, Jessica's favorite color. 7NEWS Reporter Amanda Kost observed that Jessica's mother walked out of the room as a prosecutor explained the details of the crime.

Sigg previously pleaded not guilty to 18 counts, and prosecutors had suggested the defense was considering a "mental state defense."

However, Sigg had allegedly confessed to a 911 operator and during a videotaped interview after his arrest.  Prosecutors said Tuesday in that confession Sigg said he was out "hunting" when he pulled over and grabbed Ridgeway.

In addition to accepting the guilty plea, Munsinger also decided to lift the gag order on the case. That allowed the district attorneys and investigators to discuss the case after the hearing concluded.

"Today Austin Sigg was held accountable for the despicable things he's done and the horrors he perpetrated on our community," DA Peter Weir said.

Westminster Police Chief Lee Birk thanked the Ridgeway family for trusting the investigators.

"They're an amazing family," he said.

 

[grace-land]

http://denver.cbslocal.com/2013/10/02/coin-unites-law-enforcement-who-helped-search-for-jessica-ridgeway/

Coin Unites Law Enforcement Who Helped Search For Jessica Ridgeway
October 2, 2013 11:58 PM


(credit: CBS)

WESTMINSTER, Colo. (CBS4) – A coin unites the 75 agencies and hundreds of investigators who helped Westminster police search for Jessica Ridgeway and then bring her killer to justice.

Austin Sigg pleaded guilty on Tuesday to kidnapping and killing the 10-year-old a year ago. It’s been a disturbing and emotional case for many of those involved.

CBS4’s Jennifer Brice learned about a special coin while following the Ridgeway story. Police agencies usually have their own department coin but Brice had never seen one specifically minted for a case.

It’s a first for Westminster police, and it’s their way of saying “thank you” to the men and women who helped in a 24-hour-a-day operation to find “Justice for Jessica.”

A simple gesture can sometimes go a long way.

“The coin was minted as a thank you,” Westminster Police Investigator Cheri Spottke said.

Spottke was one of two officers with the department who hand-delivered 1,800 of the commemorative coins — one to each officer who helped to find justice for Jessica.
 

[grace-land]

  

http://**/breakingnews/ci_24226479/austin-siggs-behavior-left-little-his-lawyers-defend

Austin Sigg's behavior left little for his lawyers to defend
Posted:   10/02/2013 06:24:32 PM MDT16 comments | Updated:   about 5 hours ago

 
Sigg was 16 years old when he started searching for and viewing graphic photos of children being raped and tortured.

More than a year after he started viewing the images — and four months before he killed Jessica — Sigg tried to kidnap a woman at Ketner Lake in May 2012. Sigg watched the woman before he grabbed her from behind and shoved a chemical-soaked rag in her face, the woman testified in August.

Sigg later admitted that he tried to make chloroform.

On Oct. 5, 2012, Sigg patiently watched Jessica and waited before he threw her into his van. Prosecutors said Sigg told detectives he was "out hunting" for a victim that morning.

Attorneys not connected to the case said the evidence against Sigg was strong and left few strategies for defense attorneys.

"The defense would never have argued about who committed the homicide," said attorney Dan Recht. "They would have admitted from the beginning that Sigg committed the homicide, but they would have argued that they had a degree of derangement that would leave a juvenile unable to premeditate the crime."

Their best hope would have been to persuade the jury to convict Sigg on a lesser murder charge, Recht said.

Arguments by defense attorneys suggested that Sigg, who was 17 at the time of the crime, was too young or somehow unable to comprehend his actions and decisions. But prosecutors continually pointed to his previous acts and said his actions were not impulsive, but calculated.

Defense attorneys declined to comment about the case.

[grace-land]

Slideshow of Jessica's Park at the link

http://kdvr.com/2013/10/05/hundreds-attend-jessica-ridgeway-memorial-park-dedication/

Slideshow: Hundreds attend Jessica Ridgeway Memorial Park dedication
Posted on: 2:49 pm, October 5, 2013, by Brooke Way, updated on: 03:08pm, October 5, 2013



WESTMINSTER, Colo. — A ceremony was held in honor of Jessica Ridgeway Saturday morning, dedicating a local park in her memory.

At 10 a.m., hundreds of friends, family and community members gathered at the Jessica Ridgeway Memorial Park as it was officially opened to the public.

Dozens of volunteers helped build the park located at 10765 Moore Street over the past year. They worked together to rake, shovel and move more than 500 cubic tons of mulch. Many worked in two-hour shifts starting as early as eight o’clock in the morning.

The majority of the design of the park incorporated purple, Jessica’s favorite color.

“When you drive by you instantly know it belongs to her,” park designer Kathy said. “The hope is that it brings joy.”
 

[grace-land]

Video at the link

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/park-to-be-dedicated-and-renamed-as-jessica-ridgeway-memorial-park

Park dedicated and renamed as Jessica Ridgeway Memorial Park
Posted: 10/05/2013
Last Updated: 3 minutes ago

WESTMINSTER, Colo. - A year after a 10-year-old Westminster girl was abducted on her way to school and killed, a park where she used to play has been formally dedicated to her memory.

A ceremony was held Saturday at the newly named Jessica Ridgeway Memorial Park.

"This case profoundly impacted everyone who was involved in it.  I think most of us actually began to feel as if Jessica was our own daughter, it touched us that deeply," said Westminster Police Chief Lee Birk.

A year later her story still impacts her community.  Many of the 300-plus people who showed up for the ceremony didn't even know Ridgeway.

"Her story has touched my heart. I came from a little community in South Dakota. You only see stuff like this on the TV, she absolutely made it real to me," said Lynel Jordan of Golden.

The remodeled park bears little resemblance of the place that stole their innocence.  It is laced with purple slides and swings.  It includes a dragon fly teeter totter for a school project she was enjoying and is speckled with butterflies, an insect she loved.

The people in the park are different too.

"We're much stronger, much tighter, I think that we really look out for our own a lot more," said Melissa Capatani.

John Guydon launched the "Lassy Project," in honor of the Westminster girl.

"This was 100 percent inspired by Jessica's story," Guydon said.

His free app is focused on preventing child abductions.  It allows parents to join a village and track their kids, alerting them if they get off course.

"Parents can press a button and literally have hundreds of people looking for their missing child in seconds," Guydon said.
 

[grace-land]

http://**/environment/ci_24247673/westminster-park-dedicated-slain-10-year-old-jessica

Westminster park dedicated to slain 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway
Posted:   10/05/2013 01:47:28 PM MDT1 comments | Updated:   about 5 hours ago

WESTMINSTER — Knock-knock jokes of the sort slain 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway loved, etched into cement, adorn the park that was dedicated Saturday morning in her memory.

Playground swings, slides, zip lines all are purple and green - Jessica's favorite colors.

A teeter-totter resembles a giant green dragonfly. Project coordinators said Jessica was working on a paper about dragonflies when she was snatched from the park, one year ago, while walking to her nearby Witt Elementary School.

"Jessica's laughter will be here echoing forever," her grandmother Christine Ridgeway said during a 30-minute ceremony.

The ceremony follows guilty pleas on Tuesday by Austin Sigg, 18, who confessed to kidnapping, abusing, killing and dismembering Jessica and also attacking a jogger. Sigg is to be sentenced in November and prosecutors say they'll seek consecutive terms so that he is never released from prison.

Beneath a sign at the west entrance of the 3.2-acre park, friends set out cherished items: a softball inscribed by "Rayshell" ("I remember playing catch with you"), a marble, a painted rock, a quarter, a doll, a yellow Frisbee. Gold leaves fell from trees decorated with purple ribbons.

Dogs barked behind fences as people — police estimated the crowd at 600 — walked and rode in golf carts toward the park.

Family members sat on a stage by a photo portrait and collage showing a smiling girl in glasses, goggles, sombrero, blowing a bubble.
 

[grace-land]

Video at the link

http://www.9news.com/news/local/article/358524/346/Jessica-Ridgeways-spreads-word-about-app

Jessica Ridgeway's mother works to save kids through new app
9:31 AM, Oct 6, 2013

LARIMER COUNTY - Sarah Ridgeway says the park where Jessica never made it to that day is just one of the ways her daughter's legacy will live on.

Saturday afternoon, Sarah was in Larimer County to take part in the launch of a new app called "The Lassy Project." It's an app that will notify parents if their child goes missing.

John Guydon is the CEO of the Lassy Project and says he was inspired to create the application after Jessica went missing.

"As long as they're walking the designated route that the parents program, everything is fine. The moment they start to stray from that route - that's when mom and dad get that initial notification saying 'your kid is off course.' After they investigate, if everything is OK they close the alert," Guydon said. "But, if something is actually wrong, that's when they press the escalate button and we get involved."
 

[texasmom]

http://www.9news.com/news/article/364964/188/Jessica-Ridgeways-killer-expected-to-get-life-in-prison

Jessica Ridgeway's killer expected to get life in prison
5:14 PM, Nov 17, 2013

KUSA - Jessica Ridegway's killer is expected to get life in prison at his sentencing hearing on Monday.

Last month Austin Sigg defied the advice of his attorneys and pleaded guilty to all charges against him for both Ridgeway's death and the attempted kidnapping of a jogger at Ketner Lake.

 

9NEWS legal analyst Scott Robinson says Sigg isn't eligible for the death penalty due to his age at the time of the crime.

"I anticipate that Sigg will serve at least 50 years before he's really considered for parole based on what the sentence is likely to be, what DOC does in terms of eligibility [and] how reluctant the parole board will be to release someone like him back into society," Robinson said.

Two days have been set aside for the sentencing.

It's likely that Ridgeway's family will speak before the judge makes the final decision.

[texasmom]

Live broadcast of Austin Sigg's sentencing, warning may be graphic.

http://www.9news.com/default.aspx

[grace-land]

Live broadcast of Austin Sigg's sentencing, warning may be graphic.

http://www.9news.com/default.aspx

Thanks, texasmom!

[grace-land]

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/justice-for-jessica-ridgeway-sentencing-hearing-begins-monday-for-confessed-killer-austin-sigg

Justice for Jessica Ridgeway sentencing hearing underway for confessed killer Austin Sigg
Posted: 11/18/2013
Last Updated: 2 minutes ago

WESTMINSTER, Colo. - Austin Sigg is not a psychopath, but has psychopathic characteristics, according to a psychologist who testified at Sigg's sentencing hearing on Monday.

Austin Sigg is facing more than 40 years in prison for the murder of 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway and the attack on a female jogger at Ketner Lake.

"I don't believe he is a psychopath," Dr. Anna Salter testified Monday.

However, she said he does have some characteristics such as callousness and a lack of a conscious.
 Salter said Sigg is not an antisocial offender. She said from his interest in porn, his interviews and other information she obtained, she believes that Sigg has a deviate sexual arousal pattern.

-- Warning, the following contains testimony that many may find disturbing.
 

[grace-land]

http://**/breakingnews/ci_24547436/jessica-ridgeway-repeatedly-asked-austin-sigg-if-she

Jessica Ridgeway repeatedly asked Austin Sigg if she would see her mother again, witness says
Posted:   11/18/2013 10:26:53 AM MST | Updated:   76 min. ago



Shortly after kidnapping Jessica Ridgeway, Austin Sigg cut the 10-year-old's hair and then forced her to put her clothes into her school backpack and put on other clothes, according to testimony Monday.

Jessica repeatedly asked Sigg whether she would see her mother again, and he lied and said she would, said Anna Salter, a psychologist who testified during the two-day sentencing phase of Sigg's trial in Jefferson County District Court.

"He certainly had no empathy for Jessica Ridgeway, either during or after the crime," Salter said. She noted that Sigg ate a snack while he told police how he dismembered the girl.

Sigg, 18, pleaded guilty in September to 15 counts for Jessica's death and an attack on a female jogger at 

Ketner Lake last Memorial Day weekend.

Salter said she did not directly examine Sigg, but she reviewed the facts of the case in writing her report for the prosecution. She did not call him a psychopath, but she said he had traits of a psychopath.

Salter said that when Sigg confessed to his mother that he had strangled and dismembered Jessica, he tried to hide what he viewed was his worst offense "I didn't rape her, I didn't torture her," he said.

Salter said Sigg was sexually aroused by dismemberment and that his mother found child pornography on his computer in 2008. Sigg's mother sent him to treatment, but he continued to view violent child pornography.
 

[grace-land]

Video at the link

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/justice-for-jessica-ridgeway-sentencing-hearing-begins-monday-for-confessed-killer-austin-sigg

Jessica Ridgeway case: Day 1 of sentencing hearing for confessed killer Austin Sigg
Posted: 11/18/2013
Last Updated: 2 hours ago