A 4-year-old boy was summoned to the basement of his grandparents’ Broomfield home by the uncle now accused of killing him with an ax, according to court documents made public Wednesday afternoon.
Emanuel Doll, 25, faces two counts of first-degree murder – one alleging that he killed the boy after deliberation, one alleging that he was in a “position of trust” and the victim was less than 12 years old.
He remained behind bars without bail on Wednesday.
Broomfield District Court Judge Mark D. Warner ordered the release of the documents after a request from 9NEWS. Some information from the documents was redacted.
The victim was Jace Emanuel Higginbotham. His mother is Emanuel Doll’s twin sister, according to court documents and public records previously obtained by 9NEWS.
According to affidavits for arrest and search warrants, the boy’s grandparents, identified as Joseph and Charlotte Doll, picked him up at his mother’s home and returned to their house in Broomfield about 8:30 a.m. on April 27.
For a time, the boy played with his grandmother in a main floor living room.
PREVIOUS STORY: Neighbors talk of warning signs before 4-year-old's death
PREVIOUS STORY: Man accused of killing 4-year-old could get death penalty
Joseph Doll told investigators that Emanuel – who lives at the home – went to the basement and a short time later asked the boy to join him. Charlotte Doll told investigators that around 9 a.m. she heard loud noises coming from the basement and yelled downstairs to Emanuel to ask what was going on.
“Nothing,” Emanuel Doll replied, according to the documents.
After Emanuel Doll went outside through a back door and then returned, Charlotte Doll went downstairs, where she found the boy dead on the floor.
Joseph Doll called 911 around 9:38 a.m., reporting that his son had killed his grandson with an ax in the basement of his home, located in the 4200 block of West 136th Avenue.
The first Broomfield officers arrive at the scene within minutes of being dispatched and found the boy dead inside the home.
They took Emanuel Doll into custody after encountering him in the backyard of the home.
According to records, Broomfield police had been called to the home 14 times since March 2016. Broomfield officials refused to release information about six of the calls, citing a state law that protects records of mental health treatment.
Emanuel Doll himself had several prior run-ins with the law, including a Dec. 4, 2014, incident at the Broomfield home where he allegedly assaulted his then-58-year-old mother in a fit of anger. After he was confronted by officers, Doll said that he was bothered that his mother was walking around the house partially naked.
“It was disgusting so I slapped her in the back of the head,” he told officers, according to court documents.
He pleaded guilty to a single count of third-degree assault and was sentenced to a year on probation.
Doll was arrested again on April 13, 2016, in Broomfield after he was alleged to have broken windows at an apartment complex in the 12600 block of Zuni Street.
In that case, he pleaded guilty to a criminal mischief charge and to obstructing a peace officer and was placed on probation for two years.
He also had two prior arrests for marijuana possession, one in 2010 and one in 2011.
Doll is scheduled to be in court again on Friday. A preliminary hearing is scheduled July 14.
