Episode Transcript
Speaker A: Hey there, all you true crime fans. I'm Amanda.
Speaker B: And I'm Kori.
Speaker A: And this is Colorado crime. If you're new here, we cover cases from coast to coast with a special emphasis on cases that happen right here in colorful, crime filled Colorado. If you're returning, thanks for being here. So we have a couple updates for you. We're gonna update you first on the Delphi case. Richard Allen actually appeared in court on January 13. His jury trial is set to begin on March 23, 2023. But the judge presiding over the case has expressed doubt that all the evidence against him will be shared with the defense at the time. The court will also pull jurors from outside of Carroll County in order to try to preserve the integrity of the trial. That's really all we have on that one, so we'll keep you updated as that one progresses. We'll let you know if trial is going to begin on the 23rd or not. And then we have an update on the Idaho murder case. So I believe it was last week they released the search warrant. It was actually released by Washington State. And then after it was released, the judge went through and released another gag order. That was a lot stricter, but I wanted to talk about what they found. So it looks like the search warrant was written on the 29th and then executed on the 30th, and that was in Washington while he was simultaneously being arrested in Pennsylvania. And I don't think we should use his name anymore. I think we should just call him the suspect. What do you think?
Speaker B: I think that's a good idea. I don't think he deserves to have his name blasted all over this podcast when he killed four people, allegedly.
Speaker A: So this is everything that was seized from that search warrant. So I will read an excerpt from the search warrant. It says, quote, finally, the order will be no broader in application than necessary to serve its purpose, and the public will still have the pertinent information at its disposal in order to understand the proceedings of the court. End quote. I think they might have taken more than what is listed here. I think they were seen carrying, like, multiple boxes out. These are the things to note. Also, there isn't any kind of results back for the testing. They did take twelve items. So they took a black, like, kind of like a latex glove. He was seen before and after the crimes wearing like, surgical gloves.
Speaker B: I did see that they also took.
Speaker A: One Walmart receipt with one dickie tag, two Marshalls receipts. What do you think? Maybe that's what he was wearing.
Speaker B: I'm guessing they're probably not going to release that part of it. That's probably the part that's not releasable, like, what was on the Walmart receipt, what was on the two Marshalls receipt? So that way people aren't I would.
Speaker A: Imagine it was probably closed.
Speaker B: Probably.
Speaker A: They also collected a dust container from the Bissel Power Force vacuum. And then item number five is listed as eight possible hair strands. The only reason I'm making note of that is items 8910 and eleven are also possible hair strands. But I'm wondering if maybe these were found in a different area or as like a clump together. Maybe they took it from his hairbrush.
Speaker B: Maybe it looks like they also took.
Speaker A: A fire stick with cord and plug, which what are your thoughts on that? I don't know.
Speaker B: What she's find on the fire stick? I have one of those and it's just a bunch of freaking apps. Unless it was YouTube or something like that, like how to Kill Multiple people.
Speaker A: I was thinking maybe it was I don't know. What a fire like? I don't have a fire stick because I'm 174 years old, but can it be used to watch, like, ****?
Speaker B: It could be. I mean, I'm also 174 years old and I only use my fire stick for TVs that aren't smart to download the apps I need to watch TV on. So I don't really know if there's downloadable **** on it or those sorts of things. I'm not entirely sure, and I don't want to speculate what they could have been looking for on that because like I said, I don't really know. I only use mine for apps like yoga or whatever. Got you. I honestly couldn't tell you.
Speaker A: Okay, that makes sense. I guess I didn't know really what it was.
Speaker B: It's just basically used for TVs that don't have downloadable apps available on it.
Speaker A: Got you. It goes on to item number seven. And that was one possible animal hair, which I find interesting because there was a dog at the crime scene, so it'd be interesting to know if he had any pets. And then like I said, eight through eleven were also possible hair strands. And then they took his computer tower. So, again, that kind of makes me think maybe they were looking more into like what his search history was, if he had communicated with any of the victims, if he had looked at anything about their house or the surrounding area or also yuck, but maybe like murder **** or something gross. I know they did collect three different DNA areas or possible areas. It doesn't say where, but it says one collection of dark red spot collected without testing. Two cuttings from uncased pillow of reddish brown stain, larger stain tested. And again, we don't have any of those results. And then two top and bottom of mattress cover packaged separately, both labeled C. Multiple stains, one tested. Definitely some interesting stuff. I don't think anything else is going to be released until trial. I believe that gag order goes through conviction, so whatever is released from here until trial, we will definitely keep you updated. The suspect is scheduled to appear in court on June 26, and that is to give the defense time to prepare for trial. We will keep you updated with that as that progresses. But without any further ado, let's go ahead and jump right into today's case.
Speaker B: This week we are covering the case of a hardworking mother who was taken from this world so senselessly. This was a random attack. This was unplanned. This was brazen. This was preventable. And this is the kidnapping and murder of Rhonda Maloney. Rhonda was a 25 year old wife and mother of two. She was working as a casino waitress at Harris in Central City at the time of her murder. She left her shift around 02:00 a.m. On February 12, 1994, and took a shuttle to the bus station in golden where she had parked her car. When she arrived, she got into her car and started driving towards her home, where she lived with her husband and children. As she was driving, someone hit her car and she was either forced to pull off to the side of the.
Speaker A: Road or voluntarily did so enter Good Samaritan. Jackie Carizzo. In 1994, Jackie was a 31 year old divorced mother of three living in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, a small town located between Boulder and Denver. She was on her way to pick up her father as they were going on a small vacation together. Jackie was driving eastbound on I 76 at approximately 05:45 a.m. When she took the off ramp to I 25 and noticed that there were two cars parked on the side of the road. One of the cars had its headlights on and the other, a light blue Geostorm, had its hazards on. She wasn't sure if it was an accident or someone needed assistance, so she slowed down to pull over and help. When she did, a woman appeared from the passenger side of one of the vehicles and ran towards Jackie's car. As she was slowing down to stop, a woman wearing a loose fitting floral top came running towards her. She was not yelling or screaming, but had a look of pure terror on her face. As Jackie looked at the woman running scared towards her, she knew that she needed to help. She stopped and let the woman get into the car. The woman, Rhonda Maloney, started telling her that the man in the other car had a gun and was trying to kill her.
Speaker B: Jackie drove while Rhonda explained the horror she had endured for the last 2 hours. Rhonda stated she was driving home when she was hit in her car and had to pull over. The man that had bumped her car had stopped to help her. He then proceeded to rape her for 2 hours until Jackie happened by. As Rhonda was telling Jackie this, jackie noticed the man had run back to his vehicle and was now following the two women. Jackie thought that their next best course of action was to head to the safest location she could think of the Thornton Police Department which was about two exits away. Jackie noticed that the man was gaining on the two women. She made several successful attempts at keeping his car away from hers. However, the man was able to pull his car next to Jackie's on the driver's side. He lowered his passenger side window and began shooting at Jackie's car. Several bullets struck Jackie in the knees, spine, and even her face. She lost control of her car and ended up exactly where it was headed the front lawn of the Thornton Police Department.
Speaker A: Jackie sat slumped over in her seat, bleeding profusely and spitting out teeth as she watched as the man who shot her casually parked his car and began to walk over to her. Before she knew it, the man had dragged Ronda from the vehicle and threw her on the ground. He reached back to grab Rhonda's belongings, and she locked eyes with the man who would leave her permanently in a wheelchair. Jackie told the Los Angeles Times in November of 1994, quote, neither one of us said anything. It was like a dead stare. It just seemed like it hung for an eternity. His eyes were so dark and so empty and so cold, and it was, I don't know, something that will live with me forever, probably. End quote. He told Jackie not to tell anyone, or he would kill her. He had run out of ammunition by this point, or Jackie wouldn't have survived with her list of injuries. It's a miracle that she even did.
Speaker B: So. Crazy. I can't even imagine.
Speaker A: Well, it's even crazier, because she does survive. So as Ronda was being carried away, jackie was able to open the door and fall headfirst out of her vehicle. The sky was still dark. It was close to 06:00 A.m. By this point, but Jackie watched as the man yelled at Rhonda, threw her in his vehicle, and drove away. That was the last time Rhonda Maloney was seen alive.
Speaker B: Jackie laid there in the front lawn of the Thornton Police Department, fading in and out of consciousness, feeling complete sorrow, knowing that she wouldn't get to tell her three daughters that she loved them or even watch them grow up, get married, or have children. As the cold set in, Jackie prepared herself for death. She laid on the front lawn of the police department for 45 minutes until she was discovered by officers arriving for shift change. Officers then swarmed Jackie and began immediately trying to save her life. She frantically tried to tell them about Rhonda. It wasn't until she was in a Flight for life helicopter that a paramedic listened to what Jackie had to say. Jackie knew she had to tell someone that Ronda had been with her and there was another person they should be searching for. She explained what Ronda told her. She gave a flawless description of the man who caused Jackie's injuries and had raped Rhonda. Jackie died multiple times on the helicopter and at the hospital. She was shot in the mouth, and it knocked out several of her teeth. But one of those mini bullets that were sent blasting through her car hit her fifth lumbar vertebrae, causing her to be paralyzed from the neck down forever in a wheelchair.
Speaker A: Rhonda Maloney's purse was found in a small town east of Denver by a man who was picking up cans in Watkins, Colorado. Investigators searched the area, and a resident spotted what they believed was a body located in a culvert one week later. The body was later confirmed to be that of 25 year old Ronda Maloney. An autopsy revealed that she had suffered several skull and facial fractures, wounds consistent with sexual assault and other severe injuries. The autopsy also revealed that Rhonda died from a single gunshot wound to the head. A pager was found near Rhonda's car. When police traced it, it led back to a Denver police detective. And that's where things got a little strange, as you'll hear in just a minute. Rhonda's husband credited Jackie for helping to find his wife's body. He said, quote, she is a real hero, and without her, we would never have known what happened to Rhonda. End quote.
Speaker B: Okay, let's take it back a minute to talk about Jessica Ann Aridondo. We'll explain why after jessica Ann Aridondo was a 21 year old female when she disappeared the evening of November 5, 1988. She had just finished a shift at US West, where she was an information operator and was headed to meet some friends with her boyfriend. After a small spat on their way to the bar, jessica decided she was going to drop her boyfriend off and go home. She left her boyfriend at Neil's Bar in Glendale, and that was the last time he would ever see her. At 11:25 p.m.. Her beloved 1988 Mustang was found abandoned with its hazards on a few blocks from Neil's. When the police arrived to inspect the scene, they noticed that there was damage to the exterior of the car, as if an accident had occurred. Witnesses reported that Jessica had been kidnapped from the site of an accident by multiple men. Police suspected that someone had crashed into her car on purpose as a ruse to get her to pull over. And when she did, they abducted her. On Saturday afternoon, November 26, 1988, some passerby were playing in the snow along US. 36 in Larimer county and found a nude body about 50ft from the road. This body was confirmed to be Jessica Anne Aridondo. Her body was found about one and a half hours from where her car was found abandoned. An autopsy was performed, and it was revealed that she had died from blunt force trauma to the head. The investigators believed she had been sexually assaulted, but there was no forensic evidence to prove that theory. Jessica's clothes were recovered scattered along the highway near where her body was found at the scene.
Speaker A: Law enforcement found tire tracks indicating that someone had backed a vehicle up and dumped Jessica's body down the embankment, along with two sets of footprints. Despite composite sketches of the two men that were seen at the accident scene, law enforcement never named any suspects, and Jessica's case went cold. You're probably wondering why we're bringing up this case. It's because the mo Seems to be the same a young woman involved in a car accident who disappeared and was later found murdered. And this happened five years before an almost similar crime happened to Rhonda. Our suspect was considered for the murder of Jessica Arradondo, but had denied claims he was involved. Corey, do you want to tell us a little bit more about the suspect?
Speaker B: Sure. Robert Harlan seemed like an unlikely perpetrator. He had a stable job as an operator for US West, coincidentally the same place where Jessica had worked before she was murdered. He was the son of a Denver County police detective and seemed to have a solid family life. Robert was 29 years old when Rondo went missing, and he would later be accused of sexual harassment by 39 women at his place of employment. He was previously arrested for using a stun gun on his wife and had been incarcerated for five years on an unrelated crime.
Speaker A: But those 39 women came forward after he was arrested for Rhonda's murder, correct?
Speaker B: Yes, correct. He was on parole and was scheduled to have a parole revocation hearing two days after Rhonda Maloney was killed. As we previously mentioned, he did work for US West for eight years as an operator. The 39 women had accused him of sexual harassment, making lewd comments and touching them inappropriately. They also claimed that he created a hostile and unsafe work environment. But again, this was after he was already arrested for Rhonda Maloney's death. He was said to have brought a gun to work and stalked one of his female coworkers. She actually felt and obtained a restraining order against him. These claims were escalated after Arrindo went missing. However, even with all these claims, us west never took any action against him.
Speaker A: So I believe after he was arrested, all those women did sue US West.
Speaker B: Correct?
Speaker A: I believe it was a multi million dollar settlement.
Speaker B: 22 million. Okay, well, here, kids, is where that pager comes into play. Robert's father was actually a detective with the Denver Police Department. When police found that pager next to Rhonda's car, the one we briefly mentioned earlier, they traced that pager back to him.
Speaker A: In the meantime, according to Robert's brother Darryl, robert had shown up at his house at 08:00 a.m.. The morning after the murder wearing ****** clothes and covered in what looked like vomit. Darryl was suspicious because he had heard about the missing, possibly murdered woman on the news, and his brother fit the description that had been given to the police by Jackie. He then left those ****** clothes and a loaded gun at Darryl's house. On February 15, 1994, darryl went to talk to their father, denver Police Detective Belt Harlan Jr. About his suspicions. Detective Harlan then bagged all the items left at his son Darryl's home and took them to the Denver Police chief at the time. They then arrested Robert Harland for the kidnapping and murder of Rhonda. Maloney. Robert was charged with one count of first degree murder after deliberation, one count of felony murder, two counts of attempted first degree murder after deliberation, two counts of second degree kidnapping and one count of assault.
Speaker B: On June 20, 195, robert Harlan was found guilty of Maloney's kidnapping, rape and murder and the attempted murder of Jackie. At the time of his sentencing, no one on Colorado's death row had been executed since 1967. Now, Gary Lee Davis was executed in 1997 for crimes similar to Harlan. But that's a story for another episode. Harlan appealed his convictions and sentenced with a typical filing of briefs suitability of jurors. If a change of venue was warranted, juror instructions were incorrect, et cetera. All of those were denied.
Speaker A: In 2003, he again appealed his death sentence. However, this one had some merit. Jurors had brought Bibles into the jury room while they were in deliberations. They were considering passages such as I for an I, end quote. For future reference. It is against the law to bring outside materials that are irrelevant to deliberations.
Speaker B: It also seems wildly inappropriate and unconstitutional to use your religious beliefs in such a determination.
Speaker A: In a three to two vote, the Colorado Supreme Court did rule that this was, in fact, a violation of Robert Harland's rights and the death sentence was overturned and he received life in prison.
Speaker B: A special side note that I didn't put in there is that the reason why it was also overturned and just the sentence was overturned and not his whole conviction. That was because the jurors actually brought in the Bible during sentencing deliberations and not during the guilt phase. So that's why they were able to just overturn the death sentence and not the whole conviction and he didn't have to do a whole retrial.
Speaker A: Interesting.
Speaker B: Yeah. Harlan is currently serving life in prison without the possibility of parole at the Lyman Correctional Facility.
Speaker A: I feel like his sentence, I am totally for the death penalty, which you guys might disagree with. And that's totally fine. We're allowed to have different opinions. I think he should have gotten death. I think that he's a bad guy. And that's not even alleged. He's a bad dude.
Speaker B: He is a bad dude.
Speaker A: And I do think it's worth noting that his dad was actually not a super great guy either.
Speaker B: Belt harlan pulled a pistol out during the dispute over a purchase at the Church's Chicken. He was still allowed to remain on the forest. And then he also escaped the firing even when he accidentally shot his wife and punched a man at a softball game. It looks like he retired from the police force in 2002. There's a little tidbit about Mr. Belt Harland that's interesting. I guess I don't want to say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, but maybe it doesn't.
Speaker A: But it wouldn't be wrong. Yeah.
Speaker B: No.
Speaker A: And that is all we have for you guys today. Thank you so much for joining us. If you have any case requests or suggestions, please send them our way. We are doing a giveaway through January 31. If you send us a case suggestion, you'll be entered to win a gift card to Dutch Brothers, so reach out on social media or email. If you haven't already, please subscribe so you can be notified every time we upload. Please leave us a review on Apple podcast. It really does help to push our podcast to more listeners. New episodes are released every Friday at 10:30, a.m. Mountain Standard Time. Please follow us on Instagram at Colorado Crime Pod or on Facebook at Colorado Crime Podcast for information on next week's episode as well as other true crime happenings. We hope you have a beautiful day wherever you are, and as always, stay safe.
Speaker B: Austa la vista. I'm going to have a different tagline every episode.
