COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — A man accused of stabbing eight people at random early Monday morning asked passersby if they were Christians and marked crosses on their foreheads with his spit, according to an affidavit for his arrest from the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD).
Officers arrested Rene Miller after he was held down by victims, the affidavit says.
Just after 1:30 a.m. on Jan. 13, officers were dispatched to a 7-Eleven store at 221 S. 8th St. for a report of a stabbing.
A couple said they were walking under the Interstate 25 bridge on the northside of Cimmaron Street in Colorado Springs when a man, identified later as Miller, began approaching them from a nearby trail, the affidavit says.
Miller asked the couple if they were Christians, the affidavit says, and they responded "yes." Miller then tried to put "what they believed was spit" on the male victim's forehead, the affidavit says. When the male victim slapped his hand away, the affidavit says, Miller pulled out a knife.
Miller did not stab either of them, according to the affidavit, and instead walked off while again asking the couple if they were Christians.
Just after 2 a.m., CSPD was notified of another stabbing incident near the intersection of East Boulder Street and North Tejon Street. Officers arrived and detained Miller, who was "actively wrestling" on the ground with several people, the affidavit says. Miller's clothes were "covered in blood," according to the affidavit. Officers also recovered a knife next to him, the affidavit says.
Investigators determined that Miller had run through the area from the walking path under I-25 along Cimmaron Street through America The Beautiful Park and into downtown, stabbing eight people along the way, according to the affidavit.
A man reported that he and his fiancee were walking on the path under I-25, along Cimmaron Street when he heard his friend screaming, the affidavit says. He went to investigate and saw Miller stabbing his friend, according to the affidavit.
When he attempted to intervene, the man said that Miller, asked "if he was a Christian and believed in Jesus Christ," the affidavit says. The victim replied that he did, and then, "Miller licked his finger and wiped a cross on [the victim's] forehead."
Miller asked the man's fiancee the same question and when she replied "she wasn't" [a Christian], Miller said, "I have to killer her," the affidavit says.
She was stabbed in the right jaw/cheek area and was in surgery at the time the affidavit was written and was unable to provide a statement to the police.
The third victim was stabbed four times in the back at America The Beautiful Park, but was uncooperative at the hospital and did not talk to police, according to the affidavit.
The next victim was walking on the sidewalk on East Boulder Street near North Tejon Street when Miller stabbed him seven times, the affidavit says.
He had wounds to his upper back, left triceps, left shoulder and armpit area, according to the affidavit. He reported that Miller said, "I am Jesus Christ" and asked if they "accepted him as their lord and savior," the affidavit says.
A person who was with the victim said, "he had accepted Jesus Christ several years ago," the affidavit says, and Miller replied something like, "Thank you, my son," and licked his finger and put a cross on the man's forehead, the affidavit says.
The victim said he was "undecided" and said "he didn't want to be licked," and then Miller approached him, the affidavit says. The victim initially thought he was being punched but as Miller walked away he realized he had been stabbed.
Another victim reported that he had been drinking at Tony's bar when he stepped outside and was approached by a man he didn't know, the affidavit says. The man lifted his shirt and the victim saw two stab wounds, according to the affidavit. The victim then saw Miller "nearby wielding a knife," the affidavit says.
The victim was stabbed three times in the right side of his head and once in his left shoulder area as he attempted to stop Miller from injuring anyone else, the affidavit says.
He also had scrapes on his hands and knuckles from trying to pin Miller to the ground, according to the affidavit.
Another man, who had also been drinking at Tony's, suffered lacerations to his hands as he helped subdue Miller.
All three men who were stabbed near Tony's held Miller until police arrived.
The final victim suffered multiple stab wounds to his right collarbone, right shoulder, across his nose and on his forearms, according to the affidavit. He was taken to the hospital for treatment and was in surgery when the affidavit was written.
Police said they did not know exactly where he was when he was stabbed but that he was brought to the hospital from the same area where the other victims were injured.
Miller is being held on six charges of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree assault and two counts of menacing.
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