Donthe Lucas Found Guilty In 2013 Murder Of Kelsie Schelling
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (CBS4) - Donthe Lucas was found guilty of murdering his pregnant ex-girlfriend Kelsie Schelling in 2013. Schelling's body has never been found.
Lucas was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
The defense in Lucas' trial rested on Monday without calling any witnesses.
The trial, which began in February, was delayed multiple times, most recently due to someone in the courtroom testing positive for COVID-19.
"We're very thankful for this outcome, but in the end I didn't get Kelsey back, and that's what I wanted more than anything," said Schelling's mother, Laura Saxton shortly after the verdict was read.
Saxton also pleaded with police to not stop searching for her daughter's body, so she can have a proper burial.
Schelling was reportedly traveling from Denver to Pueblo to talk to Lucas about the pregnancy. Lucas pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in August 2018.
Messages on Schelling's phone showed she texted Lucas that she was pregnant, and his replies indicated he was unhappy.
On the day she reportedly disappeared, GPS on her phone showed it traveled to the same location in Pueblo as Lucas' phone.
Investigators have said he took $400 out of her account on that day.
Police found Schelling's car in a Walmart parking lot in Pueblo a few days after she was reported missing.
CBS4 was on scene in 2017 when investigators dug up the yard of a home where Lucas used to live. However, nothing was found.
Last month, a woman considered as the star witness to be called by the defense was murdered in Denver. Roxann Martinez was shot and killed at the intersection of E. Kenyon Dr. and S. Wabash St. at 11 p.m. on Feb 25.
Police say her death does not appear to be related to the trial, but instead a possible result of domestic violence. Emmanuel Chandler was arrested for Martinez's death.