An Arapahoe County judge on Monday ordered Aurora resident Daniel Alexander Ashby, 36, to stand trial after witnesses said he body‑slammed a defense lawyer in a courthouse hallway last December while trying to reach the man accused of killing his 12‑year‑old nephew. The lawyer, H. Michael Steinberg, was taken to a hospital with serious injuries and is scheduled for surgery. Ashby remains in jail on a $75,000 bond.
Police called the move an "MMA‑style takedown" that caused multiple spinal fractures and other severe trauma, and a special prosecutor warned the judge that the lawyer "may never walk again." The confrontation happened in a hallway outside a court hearing and ended with Ashby under arrest, according to CBS Colorado.
What witnesses told investigators
An Arapahoe County deputy testified that Ashby "aggressively approached" Steinberg, then carried out a double‑leg takedown that knocked the lawyer unconscious, according to court filings. Reporting from Law & Crime notes jail records listing a charge of second‑degree assault and describes Steinberg as saying he suffered a shattered pelvis along with spinal injuries.
Backstory: the Iliff Avenue crash
Ashby’s nephew was killed in July after being struck while riding an electric scooter in a marked crosswalk on East Iliff Avenue. Investigators said the child had activated the crossing signal before he was hit. Hoodline reported that 19‑year‑old Christopher Ramirez‑Rodriguez was issued a summons for careless driving resulting in death, a case that has continued to move through Arapahoe County court.
Charges, bond and what’s next
The judge declined to reduce Ashby’s $75,000 bond and ordered the case to proceed. Ashby is due back in court for an arraignment on Feb. 13, according to CBS Colorado. Filings reviewed by Law & Crime list the alleged offense as second‑degree assault. Ashby’s defense lawyer argued that he acted in self‑defense after being shoved, while prosecutor Jake Friedberg told the judge Ashby "flew off the handle" and added, "None of this had to happen." The judge closed the hearing with a warning to both families about trying to take justice into their own hands inside the courthouse.
