A Jefferson County jury has convicted homeowner Jason Edward Carlson of first-degree assault by strangulation, first-degree assault with a deadly weapon, second-degree assault with a deadly weapon, felony menacing, and false imprisonment following the September 2024 torture of a housemate at a home in the 4700 block of South Oak Court in Littleton. Carlson was acquitted of the more serious charges of attempted first-degree murder, attempted first-degree assault, second-degree kidnapping, and third-degree assault. He is scheduled to be sentenced on October 2, 2026.
The conviction came after a five-day trial in late August, as reported by The Denver Post. The case dates back to September 16, 2024, when Carlson and three other men were arrested after their housemate showed up at a nearby hospital, according to the Post's reporting. Hospital staff had alerted authorities that morning after observing injuries consistent with the victim being tied up, beaten, burned, and whipped, per medical staff cited in the Post's account. The Jefferson County Combined Regional SWAT Team responded to the residence in the 4700 block of South Oak Court that same day, according to CBS News, taking three suspects into custody after the victim had already been dropped off at the emergency room.
A 14-Hour Ordeal Inside the Home
Investigators say the group tortured their housemate for 14 hours at the South Oak Court property, per the Post's reporting. Reports, including Court TV, describe the alleged torture and mention a baseball bat. Reports also describe serious injuries from the victim being tied up, beaten, burned, and whipped.
Reports from AP News indicate the victim was taken to a hospital after the alleged attack.
Co-Defendants Faced Sharply Different Outcomes
Three other men were arrested alongside Carlson in September 2024: Jimmy Ray Smith, Sherell Cortez Allen, and Luke Leonard Anaya. Smith evaded capture for about two weeks before he was found at a Denver pizza shop on September 30, 2024, through a joint operation involving the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Fugitive Team, Denver police, and the Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force, according to the Denver Gazette, which reported he was held on a $500,000 cash bond. Hoodline previously covered Smith's capture at a Denver pizza shop.
Smith was found guilty of attempted murder, assault, and kidnapping, and in May 2026 was sentenced to 32 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections, according to 9News. Anaya took a different path, pleading guilty in 2025 to second-degree assault and felony menacing and receiving a 12-year prison sentence that June. Allen, meanwhile, was acquitted of most charges in a March trial and convicted only of false imprisonment, resulting in a 120-day jail sentence.
The three defendants initially arrested had been held on cash-only bonds ranging between $150,000 and $300,000 following their initial September 2024 arrests, per CBS News.
What Carlson Could Face at Sentencing
Carlson's convictions carry four crime of violence sentence enhancers, according to Justia Law.
Carlson was convicted of two separate first-degree assault counts. His sentencing is scheduled for October 2, 2026.
