CO KELSIE JEAN SCHELLING: Missing from Pueblo, CO - 5 Feb 2013 - Age 21 *Donthe Lucas GUILTY of murder*

Kelsie Jean Schelling
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Schelling, circa 2013; Age-progression to age 26 (circa 2017); Some of Schelling's tattoos; Schelling's car; Donthe Lucas

Missing Since: 02/05/2013
Missing From: Pueblo, Colorado
Classification: Endangered Missing
Sex: Female
Race: White
Date of Birth: 02/18/1991 (28)
Age: 21 years old
Height and Weight: 5'2 - 5'4, 120 pounds

Clothing/Jewelry Description: A black coat with a fur-trimmed hood over a light gray jacket, black Victoria's Secret workout pants, tan UGG's boots and stud earrings. Carrying a black and pink Victoria's Secret bag containing personal belongings, including a day's worth of clothing and personal hygiene items.
Medical ConditionsSchelling was eight weeks pregnant at the time of her disappearance; the baby's due date was September 13.
Distinguishing CharacteristicsCaucasian female. Brown hair, hazel eyes. Schelling has the following tattoos: a Chinese symbol on the back of her neck, cursive writing on the inside of her left arm, a green skeleton key with the word "love" high on the left side of her chest, the Roman numerals XCI high on the right side of her chest, and a fleur-de-lis symbol on the right side of her ribcage. Photos of some of her tattoos are posted with this case summary.

Details of Disappearance
Schelling was last seen in Pueblo, Colorado on February 5, 2013. The previous day she got an ultrasound confirming her pregnancy, and sent the pictures to family members and her boyfriend, Donthe Isiah Lucas, who was the father of the unborn child.

A photo of Lucas is posted with this case summary. He called Schelling and asked her to come from her hometown in Denver to his home in Pueblo, two hours' drive away, that evening after work. He said he wanted to talk privately and he had something to give her. She left at 8:30 p.m. and apparently did arrive for the meeting.

She sent Lucas text messages saying she was waiting for him at the agreed-upon location, asking where he was at, and ultimately threatening to go home without seeing him because she was getting tired. Schelling was driving a black 2011 Chevrolet Cruze LTZ with the license plate number 023-WRL when she went to meet Lucas; a photo of the car is posted with this case summary.

Lucas was interviewed by police on February 15. He said he met Schelling as planned and drove her in her car to different locations. He said she felt sick, so he took her to Parkview Medical Center in the 400 block of west 16th Street, and stayed in the car while she went inside to get medical attention.

Afterwards they went to the Canon National Bank, where Schelling allowed him to use her debit card and withdraw money from her account. He then took her to Wal-Mart, where they got into an argument and she told him she had to go back to Denver because she had to work the next day.

Police arrested Lucas after his interview and charged him three counts of identity theft and one count of theft of less than $500 for using Schelling's card, but the charge was later dropped.

There is no record of Schelling getting treatment at Parkview Medical Center, and surveillance video at the hospital didn't show her coming inside. Surveillance footage at the bank showed Lucas driving up and withdrawing money from a cash machine, but the video did not show Schelling inside the car.

Security footage from a local Wal-Mart showed the car being driven into the business's parking lot at 12:05 a.m. on February 5. The tape showed Lucas getting out of Schelling's car and walking to his mother's car in the same lot, but there was no sign of Schelling and her car was left in the lot overnight.

An unknown male wearing a hooded sweatshirt, sunglasses, and gloves picked it up at 7:20 a.m. The vehicle was found abandoned at St. Mary Corwin Hospital in Pueblo on February 14, nine days after she was last seen; security footage showed someone driving it into the parking lot there at 5:30 a.m. on February 7. The unidentified driver locked it and walked away. Some items missing from the car when it was found included a black rosary, a metal sign reading "Love", a tie-dyed teddy bear and the car keys, which may have had a keychain reading "Love".

Schelling met Lucas while they were both attending Northeastern Junior College. She eventually transferred to Vanguard University in California and he transferred to Emporia State University in Kansas, where he was on the basketball team. He dreamed of playing basketball professionally.

Schelling moved back to Denver at the end of her first semester at Vanguard and got a job at the Floor & Decor store in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. Lucas went to visit her over Christmas break, and this was when she became pregnant.

Schelling told her mother Lucas wasn't happy about the pregnancy; sometimes she was afraid he would abandon her and the baby after it was born, and other times he threatened to take the baby away from her.

In November 2017, Lucas was arrested on aggravated robbery charges unrelated to Schelling's disappearance. In December, while still in custody for the robbery, he was charged with first-degree murder in Schelling's case. Police stated her body has not been found, and the charges were the result of evidence accumulated over their nearly five-year investigation. He is awaiting trial.

Schelling left all her belongings behind at her apartment and gave no indication that she planned to walk out of her life, and her phone battery died on February 7. There hasn't been any activity on Schelling's bank accounts, cellular phone or social media pages since her disappearance. Foul play is suspected in her case due to the circumstances involved.

Investigating Agency
Pueblo Police Department 719-553-2470

Source Information
NamUs
Facebook Page for Kelsie Schelling
Denver Westword Blogs
ABC 7 News
The Pueblo Chieftain
The Flathead Beacon
KOAA 5
The Denver Post
KRDO
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Pueblo Crime Stoppers

 
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Donthe Lucas murder trial resumes Wednesday, following two-week break caused by COVID-19​

It is set to resume on Wednesday, February 24, at 1:15 p.m.

Before the two-week break, five full days of evidence were presented in the courtroom. There is a lot to remember from the first week of the trial, so News5 has summarized what happened.

(Timeline and details of testimony at link.)
 

Donthe Lucas interviews with Pueblo Police presented during trial for Kelsie Schelling's murder​

A Feb. 12, 2013, interview conducted by then-Pueblo Police Det. Neal Robinson with present-day murder trial defendant Donthe Lucas was presented during the first half of Thursday's court proceedings.

Although portions of the video's sounds were muffled or at times difficult to discern to the courtroom audience, an almost 30-minute interview was shown from a Feb. 12, 2013 interview, which consisted of Lucas' testimony of Schelling's alleged pregnancy, relationship to him and what they did together during her visit to Pueblo.

Robinson testified that during that first interview, Lucas informed him that the two were not in a relationship. On the interview recording, Lucas can be heard saying the two are close, and that he did not believe Schelling had any other partners at the time.

"We definitely were close," he said during the Feb. 12, 2013 interview. "I know deep down she’s a really sweet and caring person ... she wants me to feel the same way about her, and I just honestly didn’t."
 
SCHELLING/LUCAS DAY 7: Messages were shown today of Lucas texting another girl just days after Kelsie went missing. This girl said she was an old friend of Lucas’ but the texts appeared intimate.

The night of Kelsie’s disappearance, Lucas’ phone apparently pinged in the area of the southside landfill, although there is no evidence of anyone being there that night.

Kelsie’s car was ultimately found abandoned at St. Mary Corwin hospital, but detectives found it clean, when it appeared dirty in the Walmart footage.

At the time of Kelsie's disappearance, Walmart video shows someone dropping off Kelsie’s car and picking it back up the next day. Footage at a bank in this same time frame shows someone in Kelsie’s car pulling $400 out of her account. Lucas later admitted that was him at the bank

Lucas told law enforcement in 2013 he and Kelsie went to Parkview Medical Center to confirm her pregnancy, and then went to the southside Walmart where he never saw her again. Parkview records show Kelsie was never there.

END OF DAY 7: The head Pueblo detective on the case took the stand reviewing Lucas’ story of Kelsie’s disappearance and compared it to surveillance footage. None of it lined up.

Yesterday's tweets from https://twitter.com/KasiaKerridgeTV
 
SCHELLING/LUCAS DAY 8: The head Pueblo detective on Kelsie’s case continued this morning going over Lucas’ texts. Texts showed Lucas appeared to contact multiple unknown numbers attempting to solicit sex days after Kelsie’s disappearance.

During this same time frame, Kelsie’s family was contacting Lucas about her disappearance. Lucas never mentioned to Kelsie’s family had her car or pulled money out of her account. But, he did try and contact Kelsie's phone multiple times days after she went missing.

Defense continues to make the same point: no body, no crime scene, no weapon, etc. The defense also suggested PPD’s investigation may have been flawed.



So there's the defense case for us.
 
"Up next was Melea Lobata, whose family in 2017 lived in the residence previously owned by Lucas' grandmother.

In April of 2017, she was in high school and her backyard was being excavated in a search related to Schelling. On April 7 she came home with a friend and a short time later, Lucas knocked on the door.

She said they had a quick interaction in which Lucas said he knew someone who used to live there. Lobata said he seemed more focused on what was going on around her and she thought he kept looking at the backyard.

The defense pointed out that Lucas was not rude to Lobato during this meeting, never did anything threatening, and never asked to come inside."

:gasp:
That would scare me.
 
A witness scheduled to take the stand in a Pueblo courtroom during the murder trial of a Colorado woman has been found shot to death.


NBC 5 reports that authorities found Roxann Martinez, 31, dead from a gunshot wound on February 25 in Denver. Martinez was scheduled to testify for the prosecution in connection with the death of 21-year-old Kelsie Schelling, who was eight weeks pregnant when she disappeared.


According to the Pueblo District Attorney, Martinez was going to testify that Schelling’s ex-boyfriend, Donthe Lucas, told her that he killed Schelling. Lucas is currently on trial for Schelling’s murder, although he pleaded not guilty.


Police are still investigating Martinez’s death. Metro Denver Crime Stoppers has offered a $2,000 reward for any information regarding the shooting.

 
A witness scheduled to take the stand in a Pueblo courtroom during the murder trial of a Colorado woman has been found shot to death.


NBC 5 reports that authorities found Roxann Martinez, 31, dead from a gunshot wound on February 25 in Denver. Martinez was scheduled to testify for the prosecution in connection with the death of 21-year-old Kelsie Schelling, who was eight weeks pregnant when she disappeared.


According to the Pueblo District Attorney, Martinez was going to testify that Schelling’s ex-boyfriend, Donthe Lucas, told her that he killed Schelling. Lucas is currently on trial for Schelling’s murder, although he pleaded not guilty.


Police are still investigating Martinez’s death. Metro Denver Crime Stoppers has offered a $2,000 reward for any information regarding the shooting.

Here's the info on the suspect accused of killing Roxann.

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"Up next was Melea Lobata, whose family in 2017 lived in the residence previously owned by Lucas' grandmother.

In April of 2017, she was in high school and her backyard was being excavated in a search related to Schelling. On April 7 she came home with a friend and a short time later, Lucas knocked on the door.

She said they had a quick interaction in which Lucas said he knew someone who used to live there. Lobata said he seemed more focused on what was going on around her and she thought he kept looking at the backyard.

The defense pointed out that Lucas was not rude to Lobato during this meeting, never did anything threatening, and never asked to come inside."

:gasp:
That would scare me.
I believe the mother did help dispose of her. Well she was going to ruin my son's life. I think most likely buried in the yard and the corpse was moved when they did and he was worried something incriminating was left behind.
 

Donthe Lucas found guilty of murdering pregnant woman Kelsie Schelling in Colorado​

A Colorado man was found guilty of first-degree murder eight years after his pregnant girlfriend disappeared.

The jury came to the guilty verdict on Monday for Donthe Lucas. Lucas was immediately sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. To date, the body of Schelling has not been found.

“I don’t know what my life looks like going forward,” Laura Saxton, the mother of Schelling said immediately after the sentencing. “It’s going to take me a long time to figure things out... please keep searching... if you’re out hiking, she could be found and brought home and have the proper burial for her.”
 
Happy to hear the verdict is guilty and he was immediately sentenced (that is not always the case).

It's sad the family does not have her body, I hope she is found one day. It is encouraging though to see another no body conviction, showing that it can be done.
 

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