A 47-year-old woman who was training to become a bartender at Carlos’ Bistro testified this week that she feared restaurant owner Carlos Echeandia would kill her during an encounter at the Colorado Springs restaurant. She described feeling frozen and unable to leave normally afterward. Echeandia, 62, is charged with three counts of sexual assault in connection with the alleged March 5, 2025, incident.
The trainee testified that she and Echeandia were alone during a training session that covered the restaurant’s menu and preparation of mixed drinks, according to the Colorado Springs Gazette. She said they knew each other through church and her parents, and that Echeandia offered her the job after she asked about an opening and he learned she had been unemployed for several months.
The trainee testified that as part of the training, she sampled mixed drinks to test the alcohol ratio, and said the alcohol affected her — she reported that she slurred her words and struggled to carry drinks without spilling them. She told investigators she felt “trashed” and wondered whether she might have been drugged, per the Gazette’s earlier reporting. She testified that Echeandia’s comments turned more sexual once she appeared intoxicated, and that he then assaulted her.
Trainee Describes Being Led to a Dark Hallway
The trainee said Echeandia led her to a dark hallway behind the bar and told her he would not touch her if she removed her top and bra. According to The Gazette, she testified that he touched her anyway and performed oral sex on her. She said she felt helpless and feared she did not know what would happen if she tried to leave, including that Echeandia might kill her.
She testified that she told Echeandia she needed to leave to pick up her children from school, and said Echeandia eventually stopped the encounter. She said she then got dressed and left. The trainee also testified that Echeandia told her it was for the best if she did not tell anyone. She said she never flirted during the encounter and was simply being her normal friendly self.
Defense Says Encounter Was Consensual
Defense attorney Jeff Barker argued the encounter was consensual and began with flirting, telling jurors the trainee consented throughout, as reported by the The Gazette. Barker said the trainee had told investigators she did not know whether a crime had occurred, though he said she was later told by Colorado Springs police detective Michael Olson that the incident constituted a crime. Defense attorney Joshua Tolini questioned the trainee about why she did not leave or say no during the encounter, with the defense's overall strategy focused on that same point.
The prosecution has also presented evidence from a 50-minute phone call monitored by Detective Michael Olson and a later interview, according to the The Gazette. Echeandia reportedly apologized during the call, said he had crossed a line and that what happened was his fault, and later told Olson he was guilty because he should have said no. Echeandia has said he was merely “playing guilty” during the call to make the trainee feel better. He has separately claimed she initiated the encounter after removing her own clothes and that she had consumed 12 martinis.
Additional Testimony Allowed, Other Testimony Excluded
A judge previously allowed testimony from a different woman who alleges Echeandia forcefully kissed her inside the kitchen of a Red Lobster more than two decades ago, while separately excluding testimony that alleged Echeandia demeaned women and imposed appearance requirements on them while they worked at The Ritz Grill, the Gazette reported in July. Echeandia has pleaded not guilty to all three counts, and his attorneys have said he steadfastly denies the allegations and is entitled to a fair trial and the presumption of innocence.
The trainee’s friend and mother testified that she was distraught after the encounter and had wanted the bartending job to support her children. She reported the incident to police months later and testified that she came forward both because she believed it was the right thing to do and because she sought free therapy sessions available under Colorado’s Victim Rights Act, a 1992 constitutional amendment establishing certain rights for crime victims, according to Phillips County’s government website.
What statewide crime data show
Colorado’s official statewide data show that the rape rate decreased 10.7%, from 52.1 per 100,000 people during January through June 2024 to 46.5 per 100,000 during the same period in 2025, according to Colorado Crime Trends: 2025 Midyear Report, published by the Colorado Department of Public Safety’s Office of Research and Statistics. The statewide rate provides a measure of reported rape offenses during those periods; it does not determine the facts or outcome of the Echeandia case.
The trial, taking place in the 4th Judicial District Court, is scheduled to continue Wednesday and Friday and is expected to last two more days. Echeandia has indicated he does not plan to testify in his own defense, though the Gazette reported that decision could change before the state rests its case.
