Woman found dead at Colorado Springs Walmart was shot at Eleven Mile State Park
Colorado Springs police say the woman who was found dead inside a car from a gunshot wound was actually killed in Park County.
Springs police officers found the woman Thursday morning at the S. 8th Street Walmart. The victim was identified as 21-year-old Amy Elizabeth Shrieves of Colorado Springs.
Police say investigators determined the homicide occurred in the area of Eleven Mile State Park.
A 20-year-old man, Joshua Alan Thomsen, was arrested for one count of first-degree murder, tampering with evidence, and tampering with a deceased human body.
According to an arrest affidavit, Thomsen claims that Shrieves sent him a text message saying she wanted to commit suicide but wasn’t able to do it herself. Thomsen told police that Shrieves asked him to kill her, and he agreed. They met at the Tinseltown movie theatre in south Colorado Springs, and Shrieves got in Thomsen’s car before they drove out to Eleven Mile Reservoir.
Thomsen told police they went to a campsite and got out of the car. Thomsen says “Ms. Shrieves kneeled down and he shot her four or five times.” He then loaded her body into his car, drove to the 8th Street Walmart and called 911 to inform police about the killing, according to the affidavit.
A police dispatcher asked Thomsen for what he meant, and he replied saying “umm…girl asked me if I would kill her, and so we went into the mountains and I shot her four times.” He described her physical appearance and gave her name as “Amy Elizabeth.”
He told the dispatcher that Shrieves sent him the text messages around 8 or 9 p.m., and he got off work at 10, according to the affidavit. They met up around midnight and drove up to the reservoir. He claims he asked if she was sure she wanted it, and she said yes, so he shot her at about 1 a.m.
Officers arrived and found Shrieves dead in Thomsen’s car and recovered a .45 semiautomatic handgun from the glove compartment.
Thomsen also says he sent a text message to Shrieves’ ex-boyfriend to tell him about her death.
Thomsen was detained by CSPD and then transferred to the custody of the Park County Sheriff’s Office. He’s currently being held in the Park County Jail. A mugshot hasn’t been released.
The investigation is being led by the Park County Sheriff’s Office.
We’re working on getting more information about this murder. Check back for updates.
