Court records detail murder of 64-year-old neighbor in Huerfano County

GARDNER, Colo. (KRDO) -- A Huerfano County man is accused of murdering his 64-year-old next-door neighbor over trash.

According to court documents, Ronald Young called the Huerano County Sheriff's Office on April 5 asking deputies to respond to his remote house off Highway 69. His wife, 64-year-old Bonnie Young, wasn't answering her phone.

Earlier that afternoon, Bonnie called Ronald saying their neighbor, 41-year-old David Freilino was “acting strange,” court documents said.

In an interview with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation following the alleged murder, Freilino said he was picking up trash on his property and realized several pieces blew over onto the Youngs' property. So he jumped the fence and went over to their house.

The houses aren’t close, with at least a distance of two football fields between them. Still, Freilino went onto the Youngs' property and walked up to their door.

Bonnie told him he could pick up trash on her property within the next ten minutes. Freilino agreed but quickly realized it would take longer than that and became upset, according to the arrest affidavit. He went and knocked on the front door again and that’s when the argument started.

Freilino told Bonnie that he was going to continue to clean the property, but Bonnie told him to leave, pointed a gun at him, and closed the door.

Freilino told investigators he was afraid Bonnie was going to shoot him, so he kicked down her door, wrestled the gun out of Bonnie’s hand, and pulled her outside. While the two are wrestling, Freilino takes one of his knives and stabs Bonnie multiple times in the head, neck, and back until she stops moving, court documents said.

According to court documents, Freilino then went inside Bonnie’s house, grabs her gun, and shot her multiple times with it. When law enforcement arrived at the scene, they said Bonnie’s face “appeared to have been carved into a smile,” the arrest affidavit said.

After the altercation, Freilino returned home, showered, and called 911, saying he “shot his next-door neighbor,” according to the arrest affidavit. He told law enforcement it was in self-defense.

Freilino was charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping, and burglary. He is being held without bond.

In a warrant request, the 3rd Judicial District Attorney’s Office said, “Freilino had no legal right to be on Ms. Young’s property” and after Bonnie closed the door, “he could have left the address, ultimately ending the altercation.”

The 3rd Judicial District has placed a gag order on the case, meaning law enforcement and attorneys can’t talk about it publicly.

Huerfano County Sheriff Bruce Newman declined to comment about the investigation. 3rd Judicial District Attorney Henry Solano didn’t respond to requests for comment.

13 Investigates is told the gag order is due to Huerfano County’s small jury pool and to ensure Freilino receives a fair trial.

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