Deborah Nicholls denied bond after convictions over deadly house fire in 2003 were vacated in August

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- Deborah Nicholls was denied bond after weeks of hearings following her conviction being vacated in August, according to court records.

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Nicholls had her last bond hearing on Friday, and she's now listed as having "no bond," according to online court and jail records.

Nicholls, 59, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the deaths of her children — 11-year-old Jay, 5-year-old Sophia and 3-year-old Sierra — who were killed in a fire at the family's home on Undimmed Circle on March 7, 2003.

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Years after the fatal fire, Deborah and Tim Nicholls were convicted and sentenced to life in prison. An April 2026 court ruling said the prosecution violated Deborah's right to a fair trial.

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Prosecutors had argued in the initial trial that fire accelerants were found in the home, on the pajamas of the children and on their father's clothing. According to court documents, an analysis from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, however, showed no indication of accelerants.

That information was not shared during Deborah's trial. District Attorneys had said the couple was motivated to light their house on fire to get insurance money to pay off drug debts.

Nicholls' convictions were vacated after a court ruling that the prosecution suppressed scientific evidence during her trial. The ruling was filed on August 1 through the El Paso County District Court, according to court documents acquired by KRDO13.

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