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Suspect ID'd in Killing of CO Prison Kitchen Staffer

Miguel Alonso Contreras-Perez, an army deserter and convicted rapist serving an indeterminate (up to life) sentence has been identified as the suspect in the killing of a Sgt. Mary Ricard, 55, a prison kitchen worker at the Arkansas Valley Correctional Facility near Ordway, Colorado. Another prison staffer, Sgt. Lori Gann was seriously injured in the attack which occurred as as Ricard, who was working on her day off, was supervising inmates preparing breakfast. There are 1,000 inmates at the prison.

Contreras-Perez pleaded guilty in 2004 to kidnapping a 14 year old girl at a bus stop at 6:30 a.m. and sexually assaulting her in 2002. The victim said he was wearing military clothing. He went AWOL from Fort Carson a month after the crime, and traveled to Utah, where he turned himself in at a police station and confessed. (Ex-soldier gets 35 years Man pleaded guilty to kidnapping, raping 14-year-old girl The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colorado) February 3, 2004.)

He was returned to Colorado, pleaded guilty and sentenced in 2004. He was 22 at the time of the crime, and according to the victim, married with two children. (Teen rape victim wants people to understand The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colorado) February 3, 2003 Monday). [More...]

When one inmate commits a violent crime, repercussions are felt throughout the whole system. Not only are all inmates at Arkansas Valley now on lockdown, but:

All medium and closed (high) security prisons in the state are on partial lockdown so that additional staff from other prisons can assist in prison operations at Arkansas Valley, Morgan said.

Authorities say the killing was an isolated incident. The inmates and staff at the prison in Limon are now preparing the 3 meals a day for the inmates at Arkansas Valley.

Contreras-Perez had been suspected of other crimes at the time he kidnapped and raped the 14 year old (Teen rape victim wants people to understand The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colorado) February 3, 2003 Monday.)

A week before her rape, detective Terry Duran said Contreras- Perez tried to kidnap a woman in her 20s from the same place. "Exact same time, exact same bus stop," Duran said. Contreras-Perez exposed himself to the woman, then tried to pull her into the car, she said....Investigators say Contreras-Perez hunted for victims in the area of Sierra High School, approaching girls and asking them if they wanted a ride.

"He's a predator," Duran said. "He planned it. He picked the time, the spot. He knew what kind of victim he was looking for. That's what he preys on: young, innocent girls."

Funeral services for Sgt. Ricard are Saturday.

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  • Display: Sort:
    Wow (none / 0) (#1)
    by Abdul Abulbul Amir on Wed Sep 26, 2012 at 02:22:57 PM EST

    A perfect example of why life without parole for murder does not guarantee no recidivism.

    There are no guarantees of anything.. (5.00 / 1) (#3)
    by jondee on Wed Sep 26, 2012 at 04:17:09 PM EST
    ever..

    except the correlation between the belief of (some) murderers and death penalty advocates that killing people is some sort of a life-enhancing strategy.

    Parent

    not enhancing? (none / 0) (#5)
    by diogenes on Wed Sep 26, 2012 at 06:04:12 PM EST
    This fellow wouldn't have gotten the death penalty for rape anyway.  However, if he had been convicted for murder and executed, then that sure would have enhanced the life chances of the now dead Sgt. Mary Ricard.
    Would he have been less likely to have murdered a prison staffer if he faced a swift and sure death penalty for such a crime?  What does logic say?    

    Parent
    If we kill 'em quicker (5.00 / 2) (#7)
    by Rojas on Wed Sep 26, 2012 at 09:20:51 PM EST
    we'd only be wrong about 30% of the time.

    Parent
    There is a guarantee (none / 0) (#8)
    by Abdul Abulbul Amir on Wed Sep 26, 2012 at 11:14:16 PM EST
    .

    There is an absolute guarantee that murderers put to death will commit no more murders.

    .

    Parent

    Not to mention ... (5.00 / 2) (#9)
    by Yman on Thu Sep 27, 2012 at 07:37:37 AM EST
    ... a guarantee that some of those people put to death were wrongfully convicted of a crime they didn't commit.

    Parent
    no guarantee (none / 0) (#10)
    by Abdul Abulbul Amir on Thu Sep 27, 2012 at 10:38:43 AM EST

    There is a chance not a guarantee.  However, since the chance of a murderer serving life killing an innocent victim is greater than putting an innocent person the death penalty is a saver of innocent life.  

    Life without parole, AKA death by confinement, is essentially a license to kill as an additional conviction is for practical purposes meaningless.

    Parent

    a chance..really (5.00 / 2) (#11)
    by jondee on Thu Sep 27, 2012 at 11:38:02 AM EST
    Abdul, have you by any chance ever see the documentary The Thin Blue Line?

    More to the point, did you, by any chance, ever work out of Henry Wade's office in Dallas?

    Parent

    "A chance" - heh (4.50 / 2) (#13)
    by Yman on Thu Sep 27, 2012 at 12:46:05 PM EST
    Yes, only a "chance".  There have been at least 39 people wrongfully executed who have later been exonerated, not to mention more than a hundred that have been released (since 1972 alone) after new evidence of their innocence was produced.

    But your crocodile tears for the victims of prison murder are duly noted.

    However, since the chance of a murderer serving life killing an innocent victim is greater than putting an innocent person the death penalty is a saver of innocent life.  

    So better a hundred innocent murder convicts be put to death by our hands than 101 inmates be killed by prisoner sentenced to life?  Now if it was you who was wrongfully executed, I'm sure your family would be comforted by that thought.

    Parent

    BTW - If you actually believe ... (5.00 / 2) (#14)
    by Yman on Thu Sep 27, 2012 at 12:49:29 PM EST
    ... there's only a "chance" that people will be wrongfully executed, I'd be curious to know when the judicial system - which has wrongfully sentenced many people to death - suddenly became infallible?  It's like arguing it's not a "fact" that people will die due to medical mistakes, but merely a "chance".

    Parent
    yup. (none / 0) (#6)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Wed Sep 26, 2012 at 07:22:39 PM EST
    Why (none / 0) (#2)
    by NYShooter on Wed Sep 26, 2012 at 02:58:08 PM EST
    was a civilian doing kitchen duty? I thought prisoners did that kind of work.


    supervisor (none / 0) (#4)
    by diogenes on Wed Sep 26, 2012 at 05:58:36 PM EST
    You always need a civilian supervisor.

    Parent