Lopez: Victim hired me
ADAMS COUNTY» The man arrested in the shooting death of 19-year-old Natalie Bollinger claims Bollinger hired him to kill her after he answered her Craigslist ad titled “I want to put a hit on myself,” according to a newly released affidavit.
Joseph Michael Lopez, 22, was arrested Thursday evening and booked into the Adams County Jail on suspicion of first-degree murder in the death of the Broomfield teen.
Adams County Sheriff Michael Mcintosh announced the arrest in the Bollinger case during a Friday news conference, calling Lopez the sole suspect.
Bollinger was found dead off Riverdale Road in unincorporated Adams County on Dec. 29, 2017, about 26 hours after she was reported missing.
She died from a single gunshot wound to the head and had a “potentially lethal level of heroin” in her system at the time of her death, according to an autopsy.
The police document released Friday detailed the suspect’s claims that he killed Bollinger execution style at her own request.
The document further outlines how investigators were led to Lopez after searching the victim’s phone and discovering more than 100 text messages between the two on the night she was reported missing. A conversation Lopez says was in response to the ad Bollinger allegedly placed on the classified ad website.
Lopez told investigators that sometime after Christmas, he came upon a strange ad he claims Bollinger had posted titled “I want to put a hit on myself” while he was perusing the “Woman seeking Men” category on Craigslist, the affidavit said.
Lopez would go on to claim he contacted Bollinger using a fake hit man persona, agreeing to meet her and kill her after a lengthy text conversation, according to the document.
The affidavit continues and states that Lopez arranged to pick up Bollinger from her Broomfield apartment on Dec. 28. He told detectives after he picked up Bollinger, they discussed how he would be paid and how Bollinger allegedly wanted to be killed, “on her knees … executed from behind,” according to the police document. Lopez said Bollinger brought her own gun.
Lopez said he tried to talk her out of the arrangement as they drove around looking for a location for the shooting, but she was firm in her decision to end her life because of issues she had with boyfriend, Lopez claims in the affidavit.
Legal analysts say it may not matter whether Bollinger asked for a hit or not.
“Even if she asked for assistance, if he’s the one who pulled the trigger, it’s still murder,” said David Beller, a Denver7 legal analyst and criminal defense attorney.