Nicholas Jordan, the individual who fatally shot two individuals inside a University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) dorm room in February of last year, has now been handed a life sentence in prison with no chance of parole.
Shortly after the tragic incident last February, Jordan was taken into custody for the shooting deaths of UCCS student Samuel Knopp and Celie Montgomery, a resident of Pueblo. The legal proceedings that followed culminated in Jordan being declared guilty by a jury on two counts of first-degree murder for the killings of Knopp and Montgomery.
The jury deliberated for less than a day before reaching a verdict.
- The Fourth Judicial District Attorney’s office held a news conference shortly after the jury reached their verdict. Watch it in the video player below.
The victims, Samuel Knopp and Celie Montgomery, were discovered with gunshot wounds in Knopp’s bedroom, located inside the dormitory designed in a quad style. Notably, Jordan was Knopp’s roommate at the time of the dreadful incident.
Montgomery’s father shared a written statement in front of the court before sentencing on Wednesday. He said his family has spent the last year in deep heartache, but also had hope for justice. He said he never felt hate for the person who murdered his daughter. Instead, he felt an overwhelming sense of loss and the need to understand why someone would commit such an act.
During the suspect’s trial, both the prosecution and defense agreed Jordan committed the shooting. The prosecution said Jordan committed cold-blooded murder, while the defense argued the suspect felt threatened and acted in self-defense.
The defense argued Jordan had gone into the dorm to use the bathroom and was likely confronted by Knopp with a baseball bat, which was later spotted in the room.
During closing arguments, the prosecution recapped evidence like Jordan purchasing the weapon weeks before the shooting, key card logs showing he was the last person to enter the dorm building before the shooting, and video of him leaving. The prosecution also said gunshot residue was found on Jordan.
- View initial coverage of the UCCS shooting from February 2024 in the video player below.
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