close
close

Man accused of killing woman in Loveland is out on bail

play

A man accused of killing a woman in her Loveland home Friday night was released from jail after posting $250 bail in a separate case in mid-October.

According to a news release, Loveland police responded Friday night to a home in the 3700 block of Foothill Drive, which is south of U.S. Highway 34 and west of North Namaqua Avenue, after a caller requested a welfare check through the Loveland Emergency Communication Center.

Police said they encountered a man as they entered the home and saw an adult female on the ground as they tried to get the man to leave the home and speak to police.

“Officers quickly gained entry and safely took the man, identified by police as Michael Fuller, into custody,” the release said.

The woman was dead, the officers confirmed when they entered the house. Her identity and cause of death will be released by the Larimer County Coroner's Office.

Fuller, 30, was arrested back in October and was charged with assault on a peace officer, a Class 4 felony, and threatening to commit an offense with a real or simulated weapon, a Class 5 felony, as well as two misdemeanors at the time of his arrest on Friday online court records show.

This case stemmed from an Oct. 9 incident at Namaqua Park, which is about a half-mile from the scene of Friday's murder.

Loveland police shared some details of this case in a case highlight posted on Facebook on October 20.

In this highlight case, the police say:

  • A woman called the Loveland Emergency Communications Center and said a man threatened her in the park while she was walking her dog by the river.
  • The woman told police the man asked her for a cigarette and became angry when she told him she didn't have a cigarette and threatened to “kill her and her dog.”
  • The man “began walking toward the female and her dog, throwing a beer bottle and large rocks at them and pushing them further into knee-deep water. The female said she tried to get away from him but didn't want to leave her behind.” Her older dog, who is disabled, said she was scared and sprayed pepper spray in his face when he approached the female.
  • The man, whom police identified as Fuller, was still at the scene, standing in the water when officers arrived, and “appeared to be intoxicated and slow to comply with commands.”
  • Officers used a remote restraint on Fuller, who began struggling with police in the water. According to police, he tried to pull an officer under the water and injured another officer in the process.

A mandatory protective order was issued in the case the following day, online court records show. Records show he was released Oct. 14 after posting a $250 cash bond.

Police have not said whether the woman killed Friday was the same woman Fuller is accused of attacking in the park.

According to the online booking report, Fuller was booked into the Larimer County Jail Saturday morning on charges of first-degree murder, violating a protective order and tampering with evidence. Fuller's bail in the case was set at $10 million, cash only, according to a statement from the 8th Judicial District Attorney's Office and online court and jail records.

Online court records show bail was set Sunday. They also note that a mandatory protective order was issued on Sunday, the same day as Fuller's hearing.

The formal charges against Fuller had not been listed as of midday Sunday.

Fuller's next scheduled court date in the murder case is Nov. 13, according to online court records.

All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. Arrests and charges are simply accusations made by law enforcement until a suspect is convicted of a crime.

Sheriff highlights case and supports candidate for District Attorney

Larimer County Sheriff John Feyen used Fuller's Oct. 9 case and his current murder case to highlight his support for district attorney candidate Dawn Downs and encourage his supporters to vote for Downs, who is running in November against current 8th District Attorney . District, Gordon McLaughlin. 5 choice.

In an Oct. 25 Facebook post endorsing Downs, Feyen expressed frustration with prosecutors' “weak bond recommendations and plea deals.” Although he did not mention McLaughlin by name, Feyen criticized the prosecution's handling of Fuller's case and others in the post, saying the office had sought a personal recognizance bond in Fuller's case instead of a cash-only bond, which the judge had ordered. A personal recognizance bond would not have required Fuller to pay any money to be released from prison.

On Saturday afternoon, in another Facebook post referencing Fuller, Feyen reiterated his support for Downs and encouraged his supporters to vote for her. “This is the same man I posted about a week ago,” Feyen wrote. “Less than a week later, he’s back in prison on murder charges.”

The Coloradoan contacted McLaughlin for comment on Feyen's criticism as well as more information about the bail his office requested in Fuller's previous case.

In a text message to the Coloradoan, McLaughlin accused the sheriff of having “been busy spreading misinformation about our office for political gain for months. Playing politics with the safety of the community is making us less safe and he needs to stop immediately.”

The Coloradoan also received a statement from the district attorney's office following his request for comment, which spokeswoman Kylie Massman said was sent at McLaughlin's request.

“Our office is fully focused on the investigation and prosecution of the horrific murder that occurred Friday evening in Loveland,” part of the emailed statement said. “In relation to the bail arrangement in Mr Fuller’s previous case, we must rely on the information provided to us by the police at the time of the bail hearing. Unfortunately, important details of his actions, including much of his behavior toward the citizen victim, his need for pepper spray, and his apparent attempt to drag an officer into the water, were not included by the Loveland Police Department in the bail information we have. Therefore, our office was unable to assert these aggravating factors in court because we do not have them. Had they been provided at the time with the full facts that Loveland Police later released, our bond recommendation would have changed.

The statement also said that officer Fuller was accused of pulling underwater and that he “later requested not to pursue charges based on that conduct.”

Noting the $10 million cash bond set in the murder case, the statement concludes: “As both investigations are ongoing and we cannot comment further on the facts, Mr. Fuller, like all defendants, is presumed innocent “As long as he is not innocent.” found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Colorado reporter Sady Swanson contributed to this report.

You may also like...