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MorningMagazine_2025-04-14 Gabrielle Mendoza
Murder Conviction Tossed
A man whose conviction in a 1994 murder case was thrown out is expected to be transferred to the Boulder County jail today, and could be released if he is able to post bail.
The first-degree murder conviction of 49-year-old Michael Clark was vacated Friday, because of flawed DNA testing used to convict him, according to the Denver Post. That DNA testing was conducted by former Colorado Bureau of Investigation scientist Missy Woods.
The Bureau learned in 2023 that Woods had mishandled DNA samples in hundreds of cases. She is currently facing more than 100 felony charges stemming from the scandal, including first degree perjury and cybercrimes.
Michael Clark has been serving a life sentence without parole since 2012. While he could be released soon, he may still face murder charges.
Boulder County District Attorney Michael Daugherty reinstated Clark’s bail after the conviction was vacated. He said that while dismissing the case was the right thing to do, further investigation could result in a retrial. The D.A. is expected to announce in June whether the case will move forward.
Michael Clark is the first person to have his conviction thrown out since the revelations of Missy Woods’ misconduct.
Vizguerra Lawyers Allege Retaliation
Lawyers for jailed immigration rights activist Jeanette Vizguerra say that the case against her is politically motivated.
In a new court filing, Vizguerra’s lawyer claims that Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, targeted her because she has criticized the Trump administration’s immigration policies, and because she is a nationally-known immigration rights advocate.
Vizguerra was arrested by ICE last month and has been held at a private ICE facility in Aurora ever since. The latest filing says that when she was placed in shackles and photographed during her arrest, an ICE officer said, “We finally got you.” One of her lawyers wrote that they likely said this because of her long history as an immigration and labor activist.
A judge ruled that she cannot be deported until she gets a hearing on her detention.
Vizguerra’s lawyer said in the latest new court filing that targeting her because of her activism is a violation of her First and Fifth Amendment rights.
That’s all according to Colorado Newsline.
State K-12 DEI
State education officials say they will not comply with a Trump administration order to certify that Colorado’s K-12 schools are eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, commonly known as DEI.
According to The Denver Post, Colorado Education Commissioner Susana Córdova said last week that she will not sign a certification letter from the U.S. Department of Education. That letter, sent earlier this month, gave states ten days to sign, or else they risk losing federal funding for public schools.
That certification letter reportedly says that it’s illegal for DEI programs to favor one race over another.
Commissioner Córdova told the State Board of Education that Colorado schools are already in compliance with federal anti-discrimination laws. She added that because the Trump administration’s letter wasn’t approved under a law called the Paper Reduction Act, and the feds can’t legally restrict federal funding if they don’t sign it.
Colorado is one of multiple states saying they will not comply with the law, according to The Post.
CU Losing $25 Million
The Trump administration’s funding cuts have hit the University of Colorado.
As of last Wednesday, the CU system has had over $25 million in federal funding pulled that generally goes toward research. CU Boulder in particular lost $9.4 million of that batch, due to the termination of five research awards used by faculty.
Some CU researchers have already received stop work orders, which are formal notifications that order a pause on all grant-related activities. These have the power to halt all research in its entirety.
CU President Todd Saliman told The Denver Post that despite these losses, the vast majority of research at CU will continue. He’s more concerned about whether the government will continue to make funding cuts, or decide to award fewer grants in the future.
Wolf Death
Another of the fifteen gray wolves relocated to Colorado earlier this year has died.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife says that the collared, male gray wolf was found dead in Wyoming last week, according to the Denver Post.
The wolf was one of fifteen brought to Colorado from British Columbia in January, and the second of those fifteen to die recently. Authorities shot and killed the first one last month, also in Wyoming. Officials said that the first wolf was suspected of killing sheep.
The cause of the most recent wolf death has not been made public.
While the wolves were reintroduced to Colorado, they are known to roam great distances.
