Michael McCormick Probably Suspect In Murder-Suicide

GRANBY - Michael McCormick's decades-long criminal history includes leading authorities to hidden graves, accusing his own father of being a serial killer, a murder trial and a plot to escape prison by helicopter.

Police announced that a man found shot to death in a home in Granby Thursday morning is believed to be McCormick.

Several law enforcement agencies, without identifying McCormick by name, have said the man found dead on Thursday is believed to have kidnapped his ex-girlfriend in Parker and taken her to the mountain home where they were both found dead.

In the early 1980s, McCormick told prosecutors his father had murdered as many as a dozen farm workers and buried them on the family's ranch in Stratton.

Three skeletons were unearthed, but the other bodies were never found.

McCormick's father was never charged, but Michael McCormick was tried and convicted of the murder of a Idaho truck driver whose body was found in Byers in 1984.

The Colorado court of appeals threw out his conviction but it was reinstated in 1993.

By then, McCormick had earned additional time in prison for a plot to escape by helicopter. McCormick reportedly planned to flee to Mexico, kill someone and assume that person's identity.

According to The Denver Post, McCormick was freed from prison in 2006 and was later accused of taking advantage of homeowners in foreclosure deals.

Several law enforcement agencies, without identifying McCormick by name, have said the man found dead on Thursday is believed to have kidnapped his ex-girlfriend in Parker and taken her to the mountain home where they were both found dead.

A statewide bulletin to law enforcement had been issued and the FBI had joined the search prior to the discovery this morning by Granby Police.

The original report came in to the Parker Police Department on Wednesday. Officers there began investigating a report that the woman was being held against her will at an unknown location.

The 38-year-old woman is not being identified by investigators pending notification of her family.

Granby Police became involved when it was learned the kidnapping suspect, who was believed to be suicidal, had vehicles registered to an address on Saddle Horn Court in Granby. McCormick is listed as a resident of a home on Saddle Horn Court.

Officers responded to that location and found one of the vehicles at a home nearby on Timber Court.

Granby Police and the Summit County SWAT team surrounded the residence but were unable to contact anyone inside.

Just before 5:30 a.m., officers broke a window in an attempt to get a telephone inside the home to communicate with the suspect. A single gunshot was heard at that time, police said.

A man and woman were found dead inside. Granby Police said they believe the two people are those involved in the alleged kidnapping but positive identification has not been made.

Granby Police said officers did not fire their weapons during the incident.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Michael McCormick
• Tom McCormick
• Bert Donoho
• Murder/Suicide