Loveland man sentenced for 2015 murder
Loveland resident Christopher David Parker has been sentenced to 39 years in prison for the 2015 murder of William Connole.
On June 3, 2015 at approximately 10:45 p.m., Mr. William Connole was shot and killed while standing at the intersection of East 1st Street and North St. Louis Avenue in Loveland. Approximately 15 minutes prior, shots were fired at a motorcyclist near the intersection of Denver Drive and East 18th Street in Loveland. The rider was not injured.
At the request of then-Chief of Police Luke Hecker, these two incidents were turned over to the Northern Colorado Shooting Task Force that had been formed to investigate two other similar incidents that occurred in April and May of 2015.
The Task Force pursued over 5,100 leads, conducted over 1,000 interviews, examined over 14,000 pickup trucks with similarities to the suspect vehicle, processed over 340,000 phone numbers via the appropriate court orders, and cleared 12 persons of interest. After a culmination of nonstop work spanning two years and eight months, Parker was identified as a suspect in the June 2015 incidents. He was arrested on March 13, 2018, and booked into the Larimer County Jail.
Parker pled guilty to Second Degree Murder and faced 16-40 years in the Department of Corrections. On June 26, 2023, Judge Susan Blanco sentenced him to 39 years.
“This outcome delivers justice to a man who terrorized our community, but the irreparable harm he caused can never be reversed,” said Sheriff John Feyen. “The name of this murderer is not worth repeating, but Mr. Connole’s legacy will live on here in Larimer County as we remember the positive impact he made on all who knew him.”
Retired Larimer County Sheriff’s Office Captain Robert Coleman led the Northern Colorado Shooting Task Force and currently serves as the Loveland Police Department Chief of Staff. Following Parker’s sentencing, Coleman reflected on the efforts that went into this resource-intensive investigation.
“As the Task Force Commander during this timeframe, I would like to personally thank Retired Resident Supervisory Special Agent Todd Standstedt for the role he played as the Assistant Task Force Commander. Agent Standstedt brought enormous resources, manpower, and financial support to the Task Force not only through the FBI but many other federal partners,” Coleman said.
“In addition, the Loveland Police Department, Fort Collins Police Services, Windsor Police Department, Weld County Sheriff’s Office, Larimer County Sheriff’s Office, Larimer County District Attorney’s Office, and Greeley Police Department contributed to the Task Force with financial and personnel resources. The Task Force also received support from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, Colorado State Patrol, Northern Colorado Regional Lab, and surrounding law enforcement agencies across the state and nation. I am very proud and thankful for each and every investigator, present and past, who individually worked on these cases from the Task Force’s inception on May 16, 2015.”
Larimer County investigators, the Windsor Police Department, and the FBI are still seeking information about two unsolved shootings that occurred in April and May of 2015.
On April 22, 2015, at approximately 11:15 p.m., Ms. Cori Romero was shot in the neck while driving her vehicle and merging onto southbound Interstate 25 from Harmony Road in Larimer County. Thankfully, Ms. Romero survived her injuries.
On May 18, 2015, at approximately 10:15 a.m., Mr. John Jacoby was shot and killed while riding his bicycle near the intersection of Weld County Road 15 and Weld County Road 72 in Windsor.
Anyone with information about suspect/s involved in these incidents is encouraged to call 970-498-5595, email taskforce@larimer.org, or contact the local FBI office, American Embassy, or Consulate. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest, prosecution, and conviction of the individual/s responsible for these incidents.
