KRDO13 confronts Brian Cotter of Davis Mortuary in court as he disputes small claims case

PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- Now-former Pueblo County Coroner Brian Cotter was at the courthouse Tuesday morning over a small claims case filed against him.

KRDO 13 Investigates was the first to uncover serious allegations accusing Cotter, who co-owned Davis Mortuary with his brother, of leaving dozens of bodies to decay in his funeral home.

13 Investigates confronted Cotter in court on Tuesday, which you can watch above. Cotter did not respond for comment. 13 Investigates confronted Cotter again as he left the court on Tuesday. Brian Cotter did not respond. It appears that his brother, Chris Cotter, picked up Brian from the Dennis Maes Judicial Building. 13 Investigates also asked Chris Cotter for comment. He did not answer.

According to records by the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA), Brian Cotter's privately-owned funeral home was due for an inspection back in August of 2025. When inspectors arrived, they noted "a strong odor of decomposition."

READ MORE: Pueblo County Coroner accused of hiding bodies in secret room at his privately-owned funeral home

Later, inspectors said they noticed a door was hidden by a cardboard display. When they went to remove the display, inspectors say Cotter asked them not to go inside, according to DORA's records.

Inspectors did not follow Cotter's request; when they entered, they said they found bodies in various stages of decomposition. According to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Cotter told inspectors that some of the bodies had been awaiting cremation for approximately 15 years.

On Tuesday, Cotter appeared in court to dispute a $3,105 small claims case filed against him by a Silver Cliff woman. The woman says she prepaid for her own cremation services, but in light of the allegations against him, she wants her money back.

"We had trusted Davis Mortuary for so long. I also just went ahead and did pre-paid cremation," explained Deborah "Debbie" Paraday in an October interview with 13 Investigates.

In court, the judge presiding over the small claims case noted that Paraday will need to refile her claim, as she filed suit against Brian Cotter, and the business Davis Mortuary should be named instead. With these changes in mind, a new court date has been set for March 3.

Paraday explained to KRDO13 how disappointing this court hearing was.

"I feel like I'm fighting an uphill battle. All I can do is get two more parties subpoenaed and come back on March 3rd. She says stuff about evidence. I've got it. I've got the receipt that said I paid over $3,000 for those services that can no longer be served. So yeah, I'm disappointed that it came down to such nitpicky stuff," explained Paraday.

She says it was difficult being in the same room as Brian Cotter.

"I wouldn't even look at him. It was just too hard to see the person who may have four of my family's bodies in a pile of stuff that he didn't take care of properly," shared Paraday.

Paraday was asked what she would say to Cotter if she had the opportunity.

"How did he think that it was okay to, first of all, make it so hard for me to get this money back? And second of all, to not take care of bodies?" questioned Paraday.

In court, there was a point when the judge had asked Cotter about whether Paraday could change part of her civil lawsuit to refer to Brian Cotter on behalf of the Cotter Family Funeral Services Inc., or if she should start over. Cotter answered that he wanted her to start over.

"It just reaffirms that he is very cold-hearted, self-righteous and doesn't care about anybody. Which maybe is why he thought it was okay to, you know, do what he's done with all those bodies that are still not identified and the ones that have been. I guess he thought he had the right," Paraday said in disbelief.

In this uphill battle, as Paraday described it, she says she was relieved when Richard Orona offered pro bono assistance.

"Those who have the prepaid plans. If they need help getting through the judicial system, we'd be more than happy to provide that service for them," explained Richard Orona.

As of publication, no criminal charges have been filed against Brian Cotter or his brother Chris. The CBI previously said that they want to identify all of the bodies before the district attorney's office evaluates potential charges. As of the last update from the CBI this month, nine out of 24 bodies have been identified.

To read all of our previous reporting on this case, click here.

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