Boulder man suspected of murder pleads not guilty by reason of insanity
A man accused of killing his roommate in Boulder has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.
Brandon Bohler, 29, is charged with first-degree murder after deliberation in the death of Richard Reeves.
Bohler entered his plea on Wednesday in Boulder District Court. The location of his evaluation is undetermined because of the lengthy wait times at the Colorado Mental Health Institute in Pueblo.
Boulder District Judge Thomas Mulvahill said because of delays at the hospital, Bohler’s evaluation, which must be recorded, might be completed at the Boulder County Jail rather than at the hospital.
“What (the hospital) told me in the past is that for those purposes, it’s difficult to accommodate the evaluation at the county jail,” Mulvahill said. “It’s not impossible, but it’s extremely difficult.”
Bohler’s attorney, John Gifford, said the Broomfield County Jail has denied an evaluation for a separate homicide case he is working on because of difficulties with video equipment.
“They had a couple of issues where the entire interview was done and the video equipment wasn’t working properly,” he said.
In addition to equipment issues, Gifford said he wants Bohler to be observed by employees of the Colorado Mental Health Institute.
“I think it’s important for any of these types of cases so the doctor has all of the information,” he said.
Boulder Chief Deputy District Attorney Adam Kendall said he does not think Bohler’s evaluation needs to be completed at the hospital and recommended doing it at the jail.
Mulvahill moved forward with ordering the evaluation without setting a specific location in hopes the case will be expedited.
The review hearing is set for Feb. 9. If found not guilty by reason of insanity, Bohler would be committed until he was deemed restored to competency and safe to be released.
Bohler previously has been evaluated for competency concerns.
According to an affidavit, Bohler called Boulder police in March and said he was in the 3800 block of Baseline Road and needed medical help. Officers found Bohler walking in the street, carrying a Bible and covered in blood, but could not find any injuries on him.
Then, a man later identified as a roommate of Bohler’s called police and said their third roommate, identified in the affidavit as Reeves, was lying in their home in a pool of blood.
Officers responded and found Reeves with extensive injuries to his chest, and he was declared dead on scene. A knife was found on Reeves back.
According to the affidavit, the roommate told police they had all been drinking and smoking marijuana earlier in the evening, but did not say what specifically led to the fatal stabbing.
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