New charges, Gateway Motel homicide
A Larimer County judge found probable cause in two new charg- es placed against a suspect in the 2021 Gateway Motel homicide.
Dennis Gist, 60, appeared before 8th Judicial District Court Judge Laurie Dean on Thursday, and Dean ruled there is probable cause in two additional charges in the case, both evidence tampering, one regarding a .22 revolver and the other regarding a hat and jacket. Both charges are class 6 felonies and were added to a list of other charges filed against Gist.
Prosecutors added these charges and Gist pleaded not guilty to them earlier this month.
After briefly questioning Loveland Police Depar tment Detective Corey Richards, the lead detective on the case, about the revolver and the clothing, attorneys from both sides made brief arguments on the two charges.
Deputy District Attorney Joshua Ritter claimed there is no argument that Gist gave the revolver as well as clothing he is believed to have been wearing during the shooting to Derrick Pippin — another man named in the case who pleaded guilty and was sentenced in 2021. The gun was found later at a different house disassembled, according to testimony during Thursday’s hearing and information previously released.
Ritter added that, during the investigation, Pippin referred to the gun and the clothes as “hot.”
“It is a fairly common sense inference when a firearm has just been used in a homicide and the shooter gives that gun to someone else what that intent is,” he said.
Gist’s attorney Jeffrey Schwartz countered that they have not conceded that Gist gave the gun, jacket and hat to Pippin, a stance they do not intend to concede on. He went on to argue that Pippin allegedly took it upon himself to dismantle the gun, not at the direction of Gist.
“There has been nothing presented today or at the last preliminary hearing that any of this was done at the direction of Mr. Gist, that he had any part in (tampering) with any of the evidence,” Schwartz said.
Ultimately Dean ruled that she did find probable cause in the two new charges and bound them over to be discussed at trial.
Attorneys and Dean also spent time during the hearing discussing several motions regarding what can and can not be talked about during the coming trial as well as potential evidence.
With concerns about whether gunshot residue test results would be available soon so he could prepare for the trial, Gist’s attorney
requested the trial be continued.
Dean asked Gist if he would waive the right to a speedy trial so a later trial date could be set, and he agreed. She set the new trial date for Sept. 15-23.
A pretrial conference was reset to 3 p.m. Aug. 25. A new status hearing was set for June 9 at 2:45 p.m. and an 8:30 a.m. June 23 status hearing will remain on the books.
Gist was arrested March 11, 2021, in connection with the death of 25-year-old Jordan Sinden, who was found shot to death at the east Loveland motel the day prior. Evidence shown during a preliminary hearing held in January — during which Dean found probable cause in all the charges besides the evidence tampering allegations — included videos from outside and inside the room where Sinden was shot.
Gist faces charges of firstdegree murder after deliberation, a class 1 felony; first-degree felony murder, a class 1 felony; second-degree burglary of a dwelling, a class 3 felony; two counts of possession of a weapon as a previous offender, one a class 4 felony and the other a class 5 felony; and two counts of tampering with physical evidence, a class 6 felony, for his connection to the case. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Two other men have pleaded guilty in connection to the case.
Pippin was arrested March 17, 2021, a week after the shooting, for his connection to the incident and eventually plead guilty to accessory to a crime and possession of a weapon as a previous offender; he was later sentenced to three years in prison.
Jonathan Fuhrman pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit second-degree murder, a class 3 felony. He is scheduled to be sentenced in July following Gist’s trial, as he is expected to testify. His attorney, Rick Silver, is hoping that will play into the sentencing decision.