Suspect in Feb. slaying may get deal
Bryan Grove was 17 at the time of Damm's killing in February.
September 29, 2007
BOULDER - The teen who admitted to police that he stabbed his girlfriend's mother to death is discussing a plea deal with Boulder County prosecutors that would spare him a lifetime prison sentence.
Bryan Grove, 18, was scheduled to enter a plea Friday morning to first-degree murder in connection with the February slaying of Lafayette resident Linda Damm, 52.
Instead, Grove's attorneys asked for more time to talk with prosecutors, who agreed that a delay would be appropriate.
Tess Damm, the victim's 16-year-old daughter, who also is charged with first-degree murder, went ahead and pleaded not guilty Friday. Her case was set for trial Feb. 18.
After Friday's brief hearing, Linda Damm's brother, John Schueller, and his partner, Dennis Comeau, met with prosecutors and emerged from the Boulder County Justice Center with puzzled looks on their faces.
Comeau said they were letting the possibility of a second-degree-murder charge for Grove "soak in" before forming an opinion. He said that prosecutors talked about Grove's age at the time of the crime as a factor for the possible deal.
Second-degree murder carries a maximum sentence of 48 years in prison.
Two other co-defendants have accepted plea deals in exchange for their testimony against Damm and Grove.
Damm's attorney, Beth Kelley, said that she has not received any offer from the district attorney's office and that Friday's events in court had her "a little concerned."
Public defender Seth Temin, in asking that Grove's hearing be delayed until Oct. 16, told the court that he was in discussions with prosecutors. "We're waiting for them to do certain things they need to do to continue those discussions," Temin said. "It doesn't make sense to set the case for trial at this moment."
For The Family
i am sorry but if you are a teenager and you commit a crime like that you should be tried as an adult and nothing less. JMHO!
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