Colorado Springs man arrested for the murder of a woman found dead in a garage
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- The Colorado Springs Police arrested a 39-year-old Colorado Springs man for the murder of a woman found dead in a garage.
Monday, officers were dispatched at 8:18 p.m. for a call for service in the 500 block of Erie Rd. According to CSPD, there was a reported body found in the garage of a home.
At the scene, police found the body of a woman. The Violent Crimes Homicide/Assault Unit responded and took over the investigation.
Later that day, CSPD said 39-year-old Gregory Whittemore of Colorado Springs was identified as the suspect. He was taken into custody and booked into the El Paso County Jail on the charge of murder in the first degree.
On Tuesday, the El Paso County Coroner's Office identified the victim as 27-year-old Allison Scarfone of Colorado Springs. The coroner's office has yet to determine the official cause of death, but this is being investigated as a homicide.
According to court documents, Whittemore's roommate, Jerome Fisher was the person to call police about the body.
When police got to the house, Whittemore was no longer there. It turns out, he had been driven by a friend to Peak View Behavioral Health, a psychiatric hospital 25 minutes north of the crime.
That friend, Michael Field, later told police Whittemore called him around 1:30 in the afternoon Monday saying they needed to talk. When Field arrived, Whittemore was crying.
Field says around 7:30 that night he took Whittemore to Peak View. On the drive, Whittemore explained he got into a fight with a homeless woman he had gotten some clothes for. Court documents don’t say what started the fight, but Whittemore told Field while they were arguing Scarfone had called him a rapist.
Whittemore said being called a rapist sent him into a fit of rage. He then hit Scarfone, suffocated her, cut her clothes off, and proceeded to actually rape her.
Jerome Fisher, the roommate, would go on to tell police Whittemore actually confessed to Field and Fisher earlier in the day around 4:30. He says after discussing Whittemore’s options, Field took him to the hospital. While they were gone Fisher called his own parole officer, who encouraged him to turn his roommate into police — which Fisher did.
During his interrogation Whittemore told police he has been diagnosed with several mental health disorders and has psychotic and crazy thoughts.
Whittemore also told them he’s a convicted sex offender and has a prior case for attempting to murder another woman.
The court documents say at the time of Monday's attack, Whittemore was still on parole and was even wearing an active ankle monitor.
This was one of three homicides police investigated Monday night that forced the department to go on accident alert status for the city.
According to CSPD, this is the 39th homicide investigation in the City of Colorado Springs in 2022. This time last year, CSPD investigated 30 homicides.
Police say this is still an active investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Colorado Springs Police Department at 719-444-7000. To remain anonymous, call the Crime Stoppers Tip Line at 719-634-7867 or 1-800-222-8477.
