Colorado Springs man arrested for first degree murder, being held on $1 million bond

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - A man is in El Paso County jail as of Monday, following an arrest by the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) for the charge of first-degree murder.

CSPD says that on April 23, they obtained an arrest warrant for 29-year-old, Michael Thomas Darby, of Colorado Springs, for the charges of Murder in the First Degree for his involvement in the death of Jason Bales.

Bales was killed in a shooting on April 18 in the 4200 block of Sinton Road.

Darby appeared virtually from the El Paso County jail before a judge on Monday afternoon, where he acknowledged the charge of first-degree murder that he's been served.

Arguments over his bond amount were held over until his first in-person court appearance in El Paso County court next month. As a result, Darby's bond remains at $1 million dollars, as it was set upon booking him into jail.

KRDO13 found Darby holds a lengthy and violent criminal record, comprised of 12 cases dating back to 2017, including an instance where he was charged with assaulting a peace officer.

A mugshot for Darby was taken in light of those charges which occurred in 2017, and can be seen below.

Darby's most recent run-in with the law comes in August of 2023, for several charges that included robbery, menacing with a deadly weapon, and possession of a weapon by a previous offender, which he committed in April of 2023.

Darby's other cases consist of more assaults, acts of menacing with a weapon, crimes against at-risk persons, possession of drugs, theft, robbery and burglary, as well as charges for being a habitual criminal.