Understanding Colorado’s Stand Your Ground Laws in Self-Defense Claims
August 26, 2025
While there are a number of specific offenses defined within Colorado sex crime laws, two of the most common offenses committed across this state are sexual assault and illegal sexual contact.
We want to focus on these two crimes today because they are not only some of the most common offenses prosecuted, they are also commonly mixed up.
Yes, sexual assault involves illegal sexual contact. However, Colorado law outlines it as a completely separate charge all on its own. Learn [...]
In January 2020, the Colorado Springs court sentenced a 40-year-old man to five years in prison for sexual exploitation of a child. Police arrested him in September 2019 and charged him with possessing child pornography and failing to register email accounts. He subsequently pled guilty to the charges. At the time, he was already serving a four-year sentence of intense, supervised probation relating to charges of downloading child porn just one year earlier.
Colorado laws are very strict regarding child [...]
The justice system is founded on the premise of rehabilitating offenders. Individuals are sentenced to punishments deemed to fit the crime.
Once a sentence is carried out, offenders are said to have paid their dues. Yet there are some crimes that continue to cause harm to ex-offenders long after their sentence is over. Sex crimes are one of them.
Unique because offenders may be sentenced to register on the sex offender registry, the handling has come under some controversy. The [...]
While awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges, millionaire financier Jefferey Epstein is believed to have committed suicide in his jail cell at New York’s Metropolitan Correctional Center on August 10.
Epstein, aged 66, had been incarcerated since early July when he was arrested on charges of operating a sex trafficking ring of teenage girls – some as young as 14 years old. He allegedly sexually abused dozens of young girls in New York, Florida, and other locations.
Officials report Epstein committed [...]
Members of the Cherry Creek School District have read unsettling headlines in the past few weeks. A bus driver in the community was charged with internet luring of a child. The man is currently on administrative leave.
An undercover officer posing as a 14-year-old girl connected with the bus driver on the Whisper app. In addition to sending sexual messages to the supposed teenager, he agreed to pick her up from school and “see where it goes from there.” He [...]
Self-defense is one of the most frequently raised arguments in Colorado criminal cases involving assault, homicide, or weapons charges. When a person believes their safety is threatened, the law allows them to use reasonable force to protect themselves. However, the scope of that right depends on the circumstances. While some states have explicit “stand your ground” statutes, Colorado takes a different approach, blending principles of the Castle Doctrine, the state’s “Make My Day” law, and court rulings that have shaped [...]
If a prosecutor has surveillance footage, you might feel your case is hopeless. The reality is, this powerful evidence is not foolproof. The Law Office of Jacob Martinez, a Denver, CO criminal defense attorney, focuses on challenging the reliability of surveillance footage. We investigate technical flaws like poor image quality and legal issues such as a compromised chain of custody or constitutional violations. By exposing these vulnerabilities, we can work to have the footage excluded or cast significant doubt on [...]
The legal process can be confusing and intimidating, with serious consequences for your future, your freedom, and your reputation. Knowing you have a lawyer who understands the local legal system, knows the judges and prosecutors, and is ready to act on your behalf can make a significant difference. If you are in Denver, having a Denver, CO criminal defense lawyer with this local insight is particularly important.
At the Law Office of Jacob Martinez, we are deeply familiar with Denver’s [...]