Pueblo man with violent past found not guilty of first-degree murder from 2021 shooting

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- Kevin Woodard, accused of killing Jason Carroll in 2021 while on parole, was found not guilty of first-degree murder by a Pueblo County jury this week.

According to the arrest affidavit, Carroll came home from work the morning of the shooting and saw two guys leaving his apartment. In interviews with detectives, Carroll’s girlfriend, Monica Paradise, said Carroll was upset that random people were in their apartment when the two had just welcomed a new baby.

She said they argued about what happened all day when Carroll decided to leave that night and said he wasn’t coming back, according to the arrest affidavit.

She asked her friend and the two guys, one of them being Woodard, that were at the apartment that morning to come over. When they arrived she said Carroll wasn’t coming back and that they could stay the night.

Paradise described Woodard as being "cooked."

"He must have done too many drugs or something," she said. "He just didn't seem like he was all there.”

Carroll showed up early the next morning with his friends to get his belongings, according to the arrest affidavit.

When he walked in he saw Woodard on the couch and began arguing with him. In the arrest affidavit, she and the other witnesses interviewed by the Pueblo Police Department said the interaction never became physical but both men looked like they were about to fight.

That’s when Woodard pulled a gun and shot Carroll in the chest, the arrest affidavit said. According to the witnesses, Woodard ran out of the apartment. When police arrived, Carroll was pronounced dead at the scene.

After a five-day jury trial this past week, Woodard was found not guilty of first-degree murder or lesser charges. The jury did find him guilty of possession of a weapon by a previous offender.

“Jason was unarmed in his own home and this guy comes into our home and just randomly shoots him and with all kinds of weapons on him also, and gets found not guilty," Paradise said. "There's something wrong here.”

Carroll's mother, Lisa Leibbrand, told 13 Investigates she is also upset with the verdict and the way the defense painted it out to be self-defense.

10th Judicial District Attorney Jeff Chostner said the case was difficult to prove because the prosecution was missing three essential witnesses. He said one died in a fire and the other two "ran away," not making themselves available for trial.

13 Investigates learned Woodard reportedly shot Carroll while on parole. Then the very next day, he allegedly shot another person in Florence while on the run.

The multi-convicted felon has a long criminal history. 13 Investigates previously reported a warrant for felony level drug and illegal firearm charges was filed in Fremont County for Woodard's arrest on April 27 — five days before he shot Carroll.

13 Investigates also discovered Woodard faced assault charges stemming from incidents back in 2016 and 2019. According to court records, Woodard attacked a disabled juvenile in Florence in March 2016.

After violating his probation, Woodard was sentenced to 15 months in the Department of Corrections. Then in 2019, Woodard severely beat a fellow inmate inside the Fremont County Jail. Woodard pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a year in jail.

Given Woodard's criminal history, Paradise thought a murder conviction was a sure bet during trial.

"I figured there's no way he's going to walk," she said. "I was almost relieved that I knew for a fact that he was going to be locked up for a long time."

That Fremont County case is still open. Woodward is charged with attempted murder, violent crime with the use of a weapon, and being a habitual criminal.

While he heads to another trial, Paradise is left raising her and Carroll's two-year-old girl on her own.

“We had a plan to do this together," she said. "Every day is a struggle.”

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