Co-defendant in Longmont case has trial pushed back

The Loveland man accused of helping a woman shoot and kill a Longmont postal worker had his trial pushed back to September due to a change in attorneys.

Devan Schreiner, 27, and Andrew James Ritchie, 35, were both charged with firstdegree murder in the death of Jason Schaefer, 33, Schreiner’s ex-boyfriend and the father of her child.

A judge ordered the two stand trial separately. Schreiner was found guilty of first-degree murder Tuesday, while Ritchie was set to stand trial on April 10.

Ritchie was represented by court appointed defense attorneys Mary Claire Mulligan and Beth Kelley because Schreiner was being represented by the Colorado Public Defenders Office.

But Kelley was recently appointed to be a magistrate for the 20th Judicial District, and had to withdraw from the case.

According to court documents, Boulder District Judge Patrick Butler allowed defense attorneys a new trial date over the objection of prosecutors.

While it was the third time the trial has been delayed, Butler made a similar allowance in another murder case Kelley was assigned.

“Mr. Ritchie would be at a distinct disadvantage if he were forced to go forward to trial with one attorney who is not prepared and would be equally disadvantaged if the court appointed a second attorney, on a first degree murder case, who does not have time to adequately prepare,” Butler wrote.

Ritchie, who remains in custody at the Boulder County Jail without bond, is now set for trial starting Sept. 18.

According to an affidavit, just after 12:30 p.m. Oct. 13, 2021, Schaefer was shot three times next to his postal delivery van, near a cluster of mailboxes on Heatherhill Street just west of Renaissance Drive.

Just two days before the shooting, Schaefer had filed a request to modify

parenting time, and witnesses said Schreiner appeared upset that Schaefer had recently started dating Schreiner’s 19-year-old sister.

The morning of the shooting, according to the affidavit, detectives said cell phone data shows Schreiner and Ritchie were both at her Fort Collins apartment before they drove to Ritchie’s home in Loveland.

At that point it appears Ritchie then took Schreiner to the Loveland post office, and Schreiner began her route as a Loveland postal carrier while Ritchie drove into Longmont and began following Schaefer on his route.

A rideshare vehicle used by the Englewood prison where Ritchie worked as a guard was seen on camera several times following Schaefer’s postal van, and Ritchie’s cell phone data and GPS data from Schaefer’s postal scanner also appeared to be in the same location for most of the morning, the affidavit states.

Cell phone records show Ritchie was on the phone with Schreiner throughout much of the morning and that he also made three phone calls to Schreiner following the shooting.

There was also an image on Ritchie’s phone taken in Schreiner’s bathroom of a person wearing a similar outfit to the suspect fleeing the scene.

Ritchie told police Schreiner had talked about killing Schaefer, and that when he dropped her off for work the day of the shooting, she said “today is the day” and “I have everything I need.”

According to the affidavit, Ritchie told police he followed Schaefer in an attempt to stop something from happening and even briefly spoke to Schaefer about Schreiner.

But when asked why he did not try to talk her down or call police, Ritchie said he believed Schreiner had gotten “over it.”