Colorado man imprisoned for threatening police: "I Am Going To Kill You"

A former Colorado resident was recently sentenced to prison for threatening law enforcement personnel, including those who were investigating his girlfriend's death.

Bryan Cornwell, 42, received a 57-month sentence from a federal court judge in Durango on Feb. 18. Cornwell was convicted by a federal jury a year earlier on two counts of transmitting threats across state lines. That jury acquitted Cornwell on a third count.

According to case documents, Cornwell's girlfriend died of a fentanyl overdose in February 2022. 

Three months later, Cornwell sent a text message to a San Miguel County Sheriff's Office investigator. In it, he threatened to blow up the sheriff's office and two businesses next to it. Cornwell's girlfriend worked at one of the businesses cited in his threat, according to the arrest affidavit. 

"People are going to die because of you," Cornwell texted, as stated in the affidavit. "I've got 800lbs ready to go you (expletive)".  

In the federal affidavit, investigators expressed concern about Cornwell's access to explosive materials. They claimed Cornwell had at that time a marijuana grow at his residence, and therefore could have fertilizers that could be converted into bombs. 

Also, Cornwell was employed by the Telluride Ski Patrol where he performed avalanche control using explosives, investigators noted. Cornwell was terminated from his position a week after sending the text due to, the affidavit stated, a failed drug test. 

The affidavit was signed by a judge and Cornwell was arrested in May 2022 on a federal charge of making threats by means of explosives. 

Cornwell was released from jail on a $5,000 unsecured bond, according to a case document, and continued to threaten law enforcement. In all, he sent more than 80 profanity-laced diatribes to law enforcement officials over five months.

Portions of those threats were listed in a grand jury indictment: 

• "As God is my witness you are going to suffer in agony slowly begging for death like you deserve. I'm going to use your own system to crush you then I'm going to burn that whole f***ing industry to the ground."
• "You will die a slow agonizing death full of regret and pain. Your family will change their names to disassociate with your memory. I will feel the life leave your body. I'm going to see you beg for it to happen. You are the worst kind of evil protecting the evil that you do. Pretending to be righteous. You're worse than them because you could stop it but instead choose to continue allowing people suffer needlessly when you could stop it. You will know suffering on a whole new level."
• "I'm going to crush you. You're an example of what's wrong with the world and I'm going to see your lights extinguished! You don't deserve the air you breathe."
• "You are a dead man walking to (sic) stupid to save yourself. Everything was recorded! Every choice you made to ignore morality will be paid for with more than you can imagine. Keep thinking I'm bluffing and keep digging your grave. You don't have the morality integrity or BALLS I DO B**** AND IM GOING TO DEMONSTRATE IT!!!!! I AM GOING TO KILL YOU AND EVERYTHING YOU STAND FOR B****."

Some of those recent threats were made from West Virginia, according to another case document. They also were processed by out-of-state computers servers before reaching their destinations in Colorado, according to a source familiar with the case.

Cornwell was re-arrested in Cortez by U.S. Marshals in October 2023. 

The case documents contain few specifics about Cornwell's complaints. In one document, Cornwell is said to have suspected the local sheriff's office of being corrupt and involved with drug dealings. 

"Do not make threats against law enforcement officials," U. S, Attorney for the District of Colorado Peter McNeilly stated in a press release announcing Cornwell's sentencing. "Doing so will land you in federal prison."  

Cornwell's attorney has filed a motion that Cornwell intends to appeal the case.