Victim in suspected Lorson Ranch double murder-suicide asked for help day before killing
EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- The El Paso County Sheriff's Office has released the names of the victims and suspect in a murder-suicide case that happened in the Lorson Ranch neighborhood.
The victims have been identified as 27-year-old Vanessa Anderson and 26-year-old Autumn Kirkpatrick. The suspect, who the sheriff's office said was Anderson's ex-boyfriend, has been identified as Wilmer Soto.
On Dec. 19, the El Paso County Sheriff's Office responded to reports of a barricaded suspect in Lorson Ranch. The caller said a man was shooting in a house in the 9800 block of Rubicon Dr.
Multiple shots were fired within the home. According to the sheriff's office, the suspect immediately barricaded himself. The sheriff's office said communication attempts began and were unsuccessful.
Hours later, SWAT members found three deceased adults inside the home.
A spokesperson for the sheriff's office told KRDO that Anderson called their non-emergency line the day before the incident. The spokesperson said the call screener described Anderson as "frantic”, and said Anderson asked for a law enforcement escort to help her move her things out of the house she lived in with Soto. The sheriff's office said it couldn't facilitate this request, telling Anderson that because there was no evidence of an ongoing threat, or previous violence, she would need a ‘keep the peace’ order from a judge. This would allow a deputy to be present as she returned to the house.
According to the sheriff's office, the next day, Anderson went to the house with her friend, Kirkpatrick, without that order, and was fatally shot.
While the official cause and manner of death will be released by the El Paso County Coroner’s Office, the sheriff's office said Thursday that all evidence points to Wilmer Soto carrying out two murders before killing himself.
Court records show that Soto's ex-wife had previously been granted a protection order against him, citing domestic abuse. That order was dismissed about a year after it was issued.
