Arrest affidavit: suspect in killing of parole officer claims he thought he was being robbed
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- In the arrest affidavit for Justin Kula, the man accused of killing Parole Officer Christine Guerin Sandoval, the suspect tells police that he thought he was being robbed at the time of the incident that led to Sandoval's death.
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The affidavit shows that Kula was wanted for failing to check in with his parole officer after being released on parole just weeks earlier. He was also on "AWOL" status with the Colorado Department of Corrections.
A woman, identified as Kula's ex-wife provided parole officers with his general location, and the officers observed him pull into the Veteran's Convenience Store parking lot, according to the affidavit.
After the officers confronted Kula, he fled the scene, hitting other vehicles, injuring one of the other parole officers, and killing Officer Christine Guerin Sandoval.
In the affidavit, Kula says he had used meth and heroin earlier in the day as well right before he was approached by the parole officers. He then claims he thought he had been set up by his ex-wife and was being robbed. According to the affidavit, he had spoken to his wife multiple times that day. He told officers he could only focus on the gun the female was holding and recalled her telling him to put his hands up and not start the car.
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Kula later told officers he did not know the woman at his door was a parole officer and that he would have stopped if he had known that she was law enforcement, according to the affidavit.
The affidavit then goes on to say that Kula became "seemingly emotional" after being told the officer had died from her injuries. Kula states that he never wanted to hurt anyone but simply wanted to flee the scene as quickly as possible.
The conclusion of the affidavit states that based on witness statements, video surveillance, collected evidence, and Kula's statement, the detective who wrote the affidavit believes Kla acted "recklessly" in his attempt to flee, and that Officer Christine Guerin Sandoval was wearing a ballistic vest with marking indicating she was an officer and giving him commands that a reasonable person would associate with commands given by a law enforcement officer.
The conclusion goes on to say that the detective believes that given the circumstances, Kula recklessly caused the death of Parole Officer Christine Guerin Sandoval and requests that he be arrested for the crimes of manslaughter, leaving the scene of an accident involving death, and third-degree assault.
