DECEMBER 19, 2019
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DOUGLAS COUNTY, COLORADO
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Suspect arrested 40 years after slaying Genetic genealogy, ‘old-school’ police work led to break in cold case, according to authorities BY JESSICA GIBBS JGIBBS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Nearly 40 years after a woman’s body was found bound and dumped in a Douglas County field, authorities believe they have caught the victim’s killer. Helene Pruszynski, 21, was found on Jan. 17, 1980 near Daniels Park Road in an undeveloped field in present-day Highlands Ranch. She’d been raped and murdered the day before, then left with her hands tied behind her back, partially naked and stabbed to death. Authorities on Dec. 11 arrested James Curtis Clanton, 62, near his home in Florida on felony murder charges. They extradited him to Colorado, where he is being held in the Douglas County jail. Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock said during a Dec. 16 news conference that Clanton was taken into custody without incident. Clanton was scheduled to appear in court later that afternoon for formal advisement of his charges. “This was a young girl who was just starting her life,” Spurlock said. “She wanted to be in journalism. She wanted to be part of a bigger story.” SEE COLD CASE, P2
Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock speaks during a Dec. 16 news conference announcing the arrest of a suspect in the 1980 death of Helene Pruszynski. JESSICA GIBBS
HOLIDAY MARKET
LET THERE BE LIGHTS
Schweiger Ranch event features light display, food and reindeer P5
Colorful displays a tradition in many neighborhoods P14
Enjoy all of your holiday favorites, including Herb Crusted Prime Rib, Roasted Turkey, Honey Glazed Ham and Christmas Goose.
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The most snow ever recorded on the ground in Denver on Christmas Day was 2 feet in 1982. Source: National Weather Service
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VOLUME 18 | ISSUE 45