A Colorado appeals court has revived the murder case against a man accused in the 2023 death of a 10-month-old, ruling Thursday that a Fremont County judge went too far by tossing the charges after the elected district attorney sounded off in a local interview. The decision sends the case back to Fremont County and reopens a prosecution that had been shut down for more than a year.
Appeals Court Reverses Dismissal
The three-member Colorado Court of Appeals concluded the district court erred when it dismissed the criminal complaint and ordered the case remanded so the charges can be reinstated. Writing for the panel, Judge Elizabeth L. Harris acknowledged that then-District Attorney Linda Stanley's public remarks were troubling, noting that "we do not condone Stanley's actions in this case," but said they did not meet the very high legal threshold needed to scrap the prosecution altogether. As reported by CBS Colorado, the court stressed that other tools are available to deal with potential juror bias short of dismissing a case.
The Facts of the Case
Ten-month-old Edward Hayes died on May 23, 2023, after he was found unresponsive in a room at the Motel 6 on Fremont Drive in Cañon City. A nurse staying at the motel told investigators she heard an incident in a neighboring room and rushed in to start CPR, and Hayes was airlifted to a Colorado Springs hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to KRDO. Investigators say William Jacobs, then 21, was the last person to have the child in his care.
Charges, Dismissals and What's Next
Prosecutors initially charged Jacobs with first-degree murder following Hayes's death, while the child's mother, Brook Crawford, later saw her charges reduced to a misdemeanor. A Fremont County judge dismissed Jacobs's case in June 2024 after Stanley gave a local interview sharply criticizing him, and Jacobs was released around the time Stanley was facing professional discipline. Her removal from office and subsequent disbarment cleared the way for her successor to seek a retrial; no new hearings have yet been scheduled, according to CBS Colorado.
Legal Implications
Dismissing an indictment for "outrageous government conduct" is considered an extraordinary step under Colorado law, and courts have described the standard for doing so as "vanishingly rare." In practice, judges are far more likely to rely on changes of venue, detailed questioning of potential jurors and carefully tailored evidentiary rulings to safeguard a defendant's right to a fair trial, as reflected in Colorado appellate decisions and legal commentary. The disciplinary proceedings that led to Stanley's disbarment are separate from the criminal case but highlight how prosecutors' public comments can trigger professional consequences, per FindLaw.
For now, the case heads back to district court for reinstatement of the criminal complaint and whatever comes next. Neighbors and legal observers say the focus in the coming weeks will be on how the court handles jury selection, any possible request to move the trial, and other safeguards meant to ensure a fair process in a closely watched case.
