Nicholas Jordan, UCCS dorm shooter, has been found guilty on all counts against him for the murder of Samuel Knopp and Celie Rain Montgomery. He was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences for two counts of first-degree murder and one count of menacing.  

Jordan, 25, shot and killed his roommate and UCCS student Samuel “Sam” 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, and the jury reached a verdict on April 16.  

The jury has found Jordan guilty on both counts of first-degree murder, which involves an intent to hurt or kill, and the menacing charge for the threats he made to Knopp on Jan. 15, according to previous Scribe reporting. 

Before sentencing, the prosecution shared three statements from Montgomery’s loved ones to impact Judge Shakes’ decision. “Nicholas Jordan deserves a life of no rewards,” said Montgomery’s father, Race Montgomery. 

The prosecution recommended maximum sentencing for all three charges. “The UCCS community was horrified to learn that two beautiful, young people had been murdered in a dorm room on campus,” District Attorney Michael Allen said. “Samuel Knopp and Celie Montgomery were the victims of a cowardly attack that occurred while they slept in bed … For this reason, I am asking for consecutive sentences.” 

The defense asked Shakes to consider Jordan’s mental illnesses and challenging upbringing. “The defense certainly believes life without parole is unconstitutional,” Defense Attorney Nick Rogers said. “I ask that the court be gracious upon Mr. Jordan and be cognizant of his struggles.” 

For the first-degree murder of Knopp, Shakes sentenced Jordan to life in prison without the possibility for parole. For the first-degree murder of Montgomery, Jordan was sentenced life in prison without the possibility for parole. For the menacing charge, Jordan was sentenced the maximum sentencing, which is 364 days. These are to be served consecutively.  

Jordan is set to begin a second trial on April 21 for assaulting a police officer while in custody.  

Timeline of Jordan’s case
 
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. 

• April 15, 2025: Prosecution and defense rest their cases, according to past Scribe reporting. 

• April 16, 2025: Jury reaches verdict, and Jordan is sentenced to life in prison. 

Nicholas Jordan enters the courtroom for a preliminary hearing on Sep. 6, 2024. Archive photo by Lillian Davis.