A man charged with killing his roommate and a woman, said he was going to “kill him” a month before the fatal shooting if the victim told him to take out the garbage again, according to a probable cause affidavit released Friday.
Nicholas Jordan, 25, and Samuel Knopp, 24, were warring roommates before Jordan fatally shot Knopp and Celie Rain Montgomery, 26, who was reportedly in a relationship with Knopp, in Jordan and Knopp’s shared University of Colorado-Colorado Springs dorm room on Feb. 16.
A neighboring roommate and Knopp reported Jordan several times for “unsafe living conditions” and smoking in the room, which were documented in at least three campus police reports since early January, according to the affidavit.
On Jan. 9, Knopp and Jordan fought over a bag of trash. Jordan allegedly “told (Knopp) that he would ‘kill him’ and there would be consequences if Jordan was asked to take out the trash again,” the affidavit says.
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“Mr. Knopp collected (the garbage bag) and placed [it] near Mr. Jordan’s door,” according to the affidavit, which is included in its entirety below.
That allegedly sparked Jordan’s alleged death threats, the affidavit says.
The same person who called 911 told police that Jordan had been smoking marijuana, cigarettes and his living area was a mess. Jordan’s Facebook page is filled with several videos of him smoking, including his last post on Jan. 29.
DISPATCH AUDIO FROM DEADLY COLORADO DORM SHOOTING REVEALS RESPONDERS ‘NOT SURE’ IF GUNMAN WAS STILL AT LARGE
A day before Knopp was killed, he expressed relief to his music teacher, Jon Forshee, that Jordan was moving the next night (the Friday of the shooting), according to a report by the Dailymail.com.
“He told me he was scheduled to move out the following night,” Forshee told DailyMail.com. “He said he was eager to move out, that his dorm life wasn’t comfortable.”
Around 6 a.m. on Feb. 16, gunshots woke up one of the victim’s roommates, who called 911 told police that he heard “the sound of a person moaning,” according to the affidavit.
Responding officers found Knopp and Celie Montgomery, who wasn’t a student but was reportedly in a romantic relationship with Knopp, with gunshot wounds and “obviously deceased.”
DISPATCH AUDIO FROM DEADLY COLORADO DORM SHOOTING REVEALS RESPONDERS ‘NOT SURE’ IF GUNMAN WAS STILL AT LARGE
He told police he locked the door and called 911. At that time, law enforcement documented a blurry figure running from the scene that they say is Jordan.
Prosecutors said during Friday morning’s court appearance that the Detroit native was a new student who was in the process of withdrawing from UCCS, which was part of their argument about why he was a flight risk.
Jordan’s brother, Brandon, came to his defense in an interview with Fox 2 Detroit, where he said police should “Keep looking because you got the wrong guy.”
“I love you bro. I love you dude. I know you didn’t do it bro,” Brandon Jordan said.
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Law enforcement and prosecutors dispute Nicholas’ brother’s assertions in the affidavit, including security cameras unknown to students.
At 5:56 a.m. on Feb. 16, “a person in dark clothing is observed running out” out the dorm buildings …. It is believed the subject running would have parked in the area to the north to avoid observation in known cameras.”
READ FULL PROBABLE CAUSE AFFIDAVIT
Law enforcement were looking for Jordan’s black 2099 Ford Escape, which was pulled over on Jan. 20 for making an illegal U-Turn, according to the affidavit.
Shortly before 8 a.m. Monday, Colorado Springs Police Department’s Motor Vehicle Theft Unit spotted the truck, police said on X (formerly Twitter), and a tactical team arrested him about 30 minutes later without incident.
Arresting officers found an AK-47 and a handgun in his car, prosecutors alleged during Jordan’s second court appearance Friday morning.
Jordan was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, felony menacing and committing a crime of violence, and is being held on $5 million cash bail in a jail in El Paso County, Colorado.
A status conference has been scheduled for March 15, and his next court date is scheduled for March 27.
