The man charged in the shooting death of 19-year-old Natalie Bollinger allegedly told Colorado investigators she hired him to kill her.
Joseph Lopez, 22, was arrested last week and charged with
first-degree murder. According to an arrest warranted obtained by
PEOPLE, Lopez told police that he responded to an ad that Bollinger
allegedly posted on Craigslist, entitled “I want to put a hit on
myself.”
Bollinger was reported missing days after receiving a protection order against a man she alleged was harassing her. She was found dead in a wooded area late last year. An autopsy also revealed she had a “potentially lethal level of heroin” in her system at the time of her death.
“Just because we have a suspect
in custody doesn’t mean the investigation is over,”Adams County Sheriff
Michael McIntosh told reporters on Friday, adding that Lopez is the sole
suspect Bollinger’s slaying.
According to the arrest affidavit, detectives uncovered more than 100 text messages between Lopez and Bollinger.
The affidavit alleges that Lopez told police that “he was pretty sure
that he knew what we were there for” and that “he was sure it had to do
with the girl he talked to on Craigslist.”
Lopez said that he spotted the
Craigslist ad in late December. He allegedly said he contacted the teen,
pretending to be an experienced hired killer. Lopez allegedly said he
agreed to meet with Bollinger and kill her after the two spoke via text.
He allegedly arranged to pick
her up at her apartment on December 28, 2017. The affidavit states that
they discussed payment. Bollinger allegedly wanted to be killed “on her
knees… executed from behind,” reads the affidavit. Lopez alleges
Bollinger provided him with the gun he used to end her life. He claims
that he tried to change her mind, but she insisted.
Bollinger was reported missing by her boyfriend; he also claimed his gun went missing.
At first, Lopez allegedly said
he had a change of heart, and that he dropped Bollinger off at her
apartment where she shot herself. Later, he allegedly confessed, telling
investigators Bollinger “knelt down on the ground and that he knelt
down along her left side and slightly in front of her.”
He allegedly told cops the two
prayed before he pulled the trigger with his eyes closed. He left,
grabbing the girl’s purse and the gun, the affidavit alleges.
Investigators claim several people who knew Bollinger said she had
expressed suicidal thoughts in the past. Still others said she never
would have ended her life, and that she was excited about the future.
Lopez is being held without bond. It is unclear whether he has entered a plea or retained counsel.
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