BRIGHTON, Colo. — The man suspected of opening fire in a road rage incident that left a boy dead and his mother and brother in critical condition was formally charged with first-degree murder during a court appearance on Thursday.
Jeremy Webster, 23, faces 11 charges in the incident, including one count of first-degree capital murder, five counts of attempted murder, four counts of assault and one count of attempted assault.
Dave Young, the district attorney for the 17th Judicial District, has about 120 days to decide if he’ll pursue the death penalty if Webster is convicted.
“Ultimately, it’s up to me to make that decision,” Young said. “I’ll talk with other elected DA’s and I’ll talk with chief trial deputies in my office and I’ll certainly talk to the family members.”
Young said he spoke with the Bigelow family before the charges were filed.
“The resilience is always amazing to me under the circumstances,” Young said of the victims’ family. “I can’t imagine what they’re going through, but they’re doing the best they possibly can under the circumstances.
“Nothing is going to please them. Nothing we do, nothing that’s going to happen in the system. The only thing that can happen is we go back in time and none of this would ever happen — but that’s impossible.”
Webster is being represented by a public defender and cannot have any contact with witnesses.
According to the Westminster Police Department, on the afternoon of June 14, Webster followed a vehicle with a mother, identified as 41-year-old Meghan Bigelow, and her three children, boys ages 13, 12 and 8, for several blocks.
Police said Webster and Bigelow were arguing before the suspect shot the woman and two of the children in the Cedar Wood Square parking lot near West 80th Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard.
Webster fled the scene but was taken into custody about three hours after the shooting when the Colorado State Patrol intercepted his vehicle on Interstate 25 near Castle Rock.
The boy, identified as 13-year-old Vaughn Bigelow, was pronounced dead at the scene, and his mother and brother suffered life-threatening injuries.
Bigelow’s 12-year-old son was not shot. He left the car and fled the scene, according to a police affidavit.
Another man, 40-year-old John Gale, also was shot while sitting in his vehicle with his daughter but is expected to survive his injuries, police said.
Webster admitted to shooting the four people, according to a court document. He claimed he has mental health issues and just started a new medication that day.
The victims have no relationship with Webster, police said.
The family has set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for expenses.