Months after a deadly family shooting inside a northwest Las Vegas apartment, Christopher Ford stood before a Clark County judge on Thursday and told the court he is not guilty.
Ford is accused of fatally shooting his partner, Tia Jurado, and seriously wounding their adult son during an argument in October. After a long delay while Ford recovered from his own injuries, the case is finally moving, with prosecutors confirming they will not seek the death penalty and a jury trial now set for March 8, 2027.
Not-guilty plea and long wait for trial
Court records show Ford formally entered a not-guilty plea to murder and attempted murder charges, according to News 3 Las Vegas. Prosecutors told the court they are taking the death penalty off the table, and the judge scheduled a jury trial for March 8, 2027.
The case has crept along while Ford remained hospitalized after the October shooting, court minutes indicate, and the next two years are expected to be filled with pretrial hearings and legal maneuvering.
What detectives say happened inside the apartment
An arrest report reviewed by KTNV states the confrontation started as a verbal argument over the couple’s shared business and personal problems. Investigators allege Jurado tried to leave, and that Ford shot her at close range.
According to the report, Ford then turned the gun on their son, Javeh, who told officers he fired back in self-defense. Police said video and ballistic evidence collected at the scene backed up the son’s account and gave them probable cause to arrest Ford.
Location, response and community fallout
The shooting happened on Oct. 12, 2025, in a northwest valley apartment near Burningwood Lane and Vegas Drive. Emergency crews pronounced Jurado dead at the scene, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Both Ford and his son were rushed to University Medical Center with critical injuries. Friends and acquaintances later organized fundraising efforts to help cover medical bills and funeral expenses. Detectives told reporters they found multiple firearms inside the apartment and said physical evidence lined up with the surviving son’s statements about the gunfire.
Where the case stands now
Ford’s arraignment took place in Clark County District Court, where court minutes again reflect that prosecutors are not pursuing the death penalty, according to News 3 Las Vegas. The current schedule keeps the jury trial on the calendar for March 8, 2027, with both sides expected to trade evidence and file a stack of pretrial motions in the meantime.
Charged with murder and attempted murder, Ford was first booked in October after police accused him of killing his partner and trying to kill his son following the domestic dispute. That initial charging marked the start of what now looks to be a long and closely watched court battle.
