Editor’s Note: Some may find the following content triggering or graphic.   

The prosecution and defense for the trial of the accused UCCS shooter rested their cases on the fifth day.  

After final witness testimony from the prosecution, the defense called two witnesses to the stand before closing their case. Both sides gave their closing arguments, and the jurors were briefed on the rules of deliberation.  

Nicholas Jordan, 25, is on trial for shooting and killing his roommate and UCCS student Samuel Knopp, 24, and Pueblo resident Celie Rain Montgomery, 26, in the early morning hours of Feb. 16, 2024, in Jordan and Knopp’s dorm room at the Crestone building in Alpine Village. The trial began on April 9. 

On April 15, the trial opened with cross-examination of Detective Ed Crofoot, lead investigator on the case, from the defense. Crofoot was called to testify by the prosecution on April 14, when they played the video of Crofoot interrogating Jordan on the day of his arrest, Feb. 19, 2024. 

In cross examination, Crofoot said that he did not find keys to any room within the dorm on Jordan or in his car at the time of his arrest. The defense alleged Knopp would have had to open his door to let Jordan in. 

The defense asked Crofoot about the bat in Knopp’s bedroom, something that has been consistently brought up throughout the case. Crofoot said the bat was not collected for evidence. Upon redirect examination, Crofoot said that there was not substantial evidence to justify collecting the bat as evidence. The prosecution asked if it would be “as silly as collecting the cereal box” on Knopp’s desk, to which Crofoot confirmed. 

After Crofoot was dismissed, the prosecution rested its case. The defense called two more witnesses: CSPD Officer Laura Gilman and UCCS Police Sergeant Lisa Dipzinski. 

Gilman was asked about her interview with UCCS Assistant Teaching Professor Jon Forshee, who testified earlier in the trial about meeting with Knopp the night before the murders. According to Gilman, Forshee said Knopp was falling behind in classwork and missed several classes, but that he was “incredibly talented.” 

Dipzinski responded to an incident on Jan. 15, 2024, where Jordan allegedly threatened Knopp’s life during a dispute. Dipzinski testified that she did not file charges because all parties were first time offenders, but that Knopp and their third roommate told her they felt threatened by Jordan, and Jordan did not mention feeling threatened by Knopp. Jordan is also accused of menacing, or threatening another’s safety, for the incident on Jan. 15 

Jordan was given an opportunity to take the stand, but he declined, and the defense rested its case. 

In his closing statement, Prosecutor Anthony Gioia said he believes the prosecution has presented sufficient evidence for a guilty verdict for murder in the first degree. “Every element of the charges for murder in the first degree for killing Sam and killing Celie [have been] proven beyond a reasonable doubt,” he said. 

Defense Attorney Nick Rogers, in his closing statement, said what the defense believes happened the morning of Feb. 16. Rogers said Jordan entered the dorm room with the intent to use the bathroom, was met with Knopp holding up a baseball bat and acted in self-preservation. 

Rogers said, in cases of self-defense, the defender is not liable for the unintentional harm caused to another person, exempting Jordan of responsibility for Knopp and Montgomery’s death. 

Rogers called Jordan, “a man with a hidden struggle; a man who was faced with the most difficult decision a person can.” He urged the jury to not attempt to fix “heartbreak with injustice.” 

In his rebuttal statement, Prosecutor Michael Allen urged jurors to use common sense. “Not one person told you to leave your common sense outside this courthouse. We expect you to come in here with your life experience. Use your common sense to weigh the evidence, decide what evidence matters and what statements from the defense counsel don’t.” 

Judge David Shakes briefed the jury on the deliberation process, including what is required for Jordan to be found guilty of murder in the first degree, murder in the second degree, manslaughter or menacing. Shakes also defined the defense of deadly physical force in defense of a person or self-defense, for the jury. 

To be found guilty of first-degree murder, the jury must rule that Jordan committed the murders after deliberation and with intent. The jury can find Jordan guilty of any lesser charge, such as second-degree murder or manslaughter, if they do not feel deliberation and intent was proven. Jury deliberations will begin the morning of April 16.  
 

Timeline of Jordan’s case before the trial   
 
The case has seen numerous delays since starting 14 months ago. Here is a timeline of events:  
   

• Feb. 23, 2024: Jordan appears in court for the first time, and the request to reduce his bond was denied, according to reporting from The Gazette.    

• March 18, 2024: Jordan and his defense claim he isn’t competent enough to stand trial, and Judge David Shakes orders a mental evaluation to determine his competency. His preliminary hearing, which occurs before an arraignment, was scheduled for March 27 but was delayed indefinitely.    

• March 26, 2024: Jordan faces new charges after an alleged assault involving a deputy while he was being held in the El Paso County jail. According to previous reporting from The Scribe, deputy Taylor Smith testified in court that Jordan had assaulted another deputy after they denied him cleaning supplies for the toilet in his cell.  

• April 12, 2024: After an evaluation from Sarah Velsor, a forensic psychologist at the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo, found Jordan to be incompetent, a second competency evaluation was requested by the prosecution, according to reporting from The Gazette.    

• July 12, 2024: Forensic psychiatrist Patricia Westmoreland testified in court that she found that Jordan was competent enough to procced, which conflicted with the first evaluation done by the psychologist. The evaluation, which was performed on April 30, found that he had mental health issues, but it did not make him unable to help his defense team. 

• Aug. 2, 2024: Shakes ruled that Jordan was competent to stand trial after hearing testimony from both Velsor and Westmoreland. During the hearing, the defense used Velsor’s statements to argue that his “waxing and waning” symptoms have made it difficult to communicate with him, but the conflicting evaluations were enough for Shakes to deem Jordan competent.     

• Sept. 3, 2024: Extensive evidence is revealed by investigators at the preliminary hearing that was initially scheduled for March 27. Detective Ed Crofoot testified that the cartridges found in Knopp’s dorm room matched a handgun that was found inside Jordan’s vehicle when he was arrested, and fingerprint found on the handgun’s magazine was a match for Jordan, according to previous reporting from The Scribe. He testified that Jordan was the only person who scanned into Crestone’s eastern entrance from midnight to 9 a.m. on Feb. 16, doing so twice less than 20 minutes prior to the police responding to the shots fired.   

• Oct. 25, 2024: Jordan was supposed to enter a plea but was given extra time at the request of Rogers and Patrick, who said Jordan was “severely mentally ill” and that it was impacting the defense’s ability to represent him, according to past Scribe reporting.  

• Nov. 22, 2024: Shakes denied the defense’s request for another arraignment and the defense entered a plea of not guilty. Shakes gave the defense until Jan. 31 to decide if the not guilty plea was by reason of insanity as the defense finished their investigation into Jordan’s competency, according to previous reporting from the Scribe. 

• Jan. 31, 2025: The defense announces they will not pursue a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity, according to past Scribe reporting.  

• April 8, 2025: Trial begins, according to past Scribe reporting. 

• April 14, 2025: Significant evidence is shared about Nicholas Jordan’s interrogation, in which he contradicted himself multiple times, according to past Scribe reporting.