KUSA — The man accused of opening fire on a mother and her three children in what prosecutors said began with a fit of road rage appeared in Adams County court Tuesday morning.
Jeremy Webster, 23, is charged with murder, attempted murder and assault for the violent June 14 altercation that left 13-year-old Vaughn Bigelow Jr. dead. The boy’s mother, Meghan Bigelow, and brother, Asa Bigelow, were seriously wounded in the attack.
A third child, Cooper Bigelow, was uninjured and received credit from investigators for helping law enforcement identify the suspect and his vehicle by unlocking his mom’s phone and showing them a photo she had taken moments before the shooting.
Another man, since identified as John Gale, was shot while he was sitting in the car with his daughter waiting for her dentist appointment at one of the two offices near West 80th Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Webster’s defense team asked for a 60-day continuance in the proceedings – something that was met with objections from prosecutors and the victims.
The judge agreed to push the arraignment back to January 7, at which point Webster is expected to enter a formal plea.
Prosecutors also asked the court for permission to take a DNA sample from Webster for “non-testimonial evidence.” This was allowed, with the caveat that a defense investigator also be present.
RELATED | Fatal Westminster road rage shooting stemmed from woman trying to pull over for emergency vehicle
During testimony at a preliminary hearing in October, detectives recounted an interview with Cooper Bigelow, who told police that Webster became angry at Meghan Bigelow when she tried to pull over for an emergency vehicle on Sheridan.
Webster is accused of following the Bigelow family’s car into the parking lot of the Cedarwood Square Office Complex at 5150 W. 80th Ave. and opening fire on the family. He is accused of shooting Vaughn Bigelow Jr. “execution-style” and then driving away in his Toyota Corolla. Prosecutors said Webster went to a Home Depot 30 minutes after the shooting to buy a saw, and went back to work for a brief period of time.
Webster was taken into custody on Interstate 25 near Castle Rock the afternoon of the shooting, and was apparently headed back home to Colorado Springs.
According to an arrest affidavit released this summer, Webster admitted to the attack and said he had mental health issues and had changed medication that day. A psychiatrist later confirmed to investigators that Webster was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and had been prescribed an anti-depressant and anti-psychotic.
