Man Accused In RTD Guard Killing Charged With First-Degree Murder
DENVER (AP/CBS4) — A 37-year-old man accused of killing an RTD guard appeared briefly in court Friday under heavy security and was officially charged with first-degree murder.
Joshua Cummings wore a red jail jumpsuit and had his arms and legs shackled as he faced Judge Martin Egelhoff.
He answered "Yes sir" when the judge asked him if he understood his rights. He struggled a bit to sign a document on an electronic tablet because of the restraints.
Before he was led out of the courtroom he asked his lawyer for help getting a Quran, saying jail officials had been "dragging their feet."
In Cummings' mugshot released by Denver police his is swollen. Authorities said Friday that's because of an infection and it's not related to the circumstances surrounding his arrest.
When asked after the hearing for a motive in the case, Denver District Attorney Beth McCann said the shooting is still being investigated.
Scott Von Lanken, of Loveland, was shot at point blank range Tuesday night near Union Station. He was a pastor, husband and father to twin girls.
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Cummings is being held without bond at the Denver jail. Both Greenwood Village police and a Denver mosque contacted federal authorities about him weeks before the shooting. The mosque wrote in an email that they were concerned Cummings was "very radicalized."
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