COLORADO SPRINGS — The bravery of a couple of bar patrons who pinned down a man accused of stabbing at least eight people early Monday morning is documented in paperwork filed with the court in order to obtain an arrest warrant.
Rene Miller, 38, is being held at the El Paso County Criminal Justice Center on $50,000 bond. He faces 10 felony charges including six counts of Attempted First Degree Murder, two counts of Second Degree Assault, and two counts of Menacing.
The crime scene stretched more than mile and half starting along the Midway Trail near 8th Street and Cimarron Street, running through America the Beautiful Park and ending in downtown Colorado Springs.
"Everywhere he was going, he was trying to come into contact with people and he was injuring them," Sgt. Shawn Peterson told reporters on Monday during media briefing at the final crime scene near Boulder Street and Tejon Street.
Officers told the court in the probable cause affidavit that Ryan and Sarah Delaroche were among the first victims approached by Miller. He walked up to them while they were on the trail beneath the I-25 bridge and asked if they were Christian.
They both answered yes and then they say Miller, "attempted to put what they believed to be spit on Mr. Delaroche's forehead with his left hand."
Mr. Delaroche slapped Miller's hand away and he pulled out a knife. Mrs. Delaroche stepped between them and told Miller to stop. He then asked again if they were Christians and that they only need to say "yes" or "no." Miller then walked away.
Three other victims were stabbed in the same area. Jonathon Seaton told officers that he heard a friend nicknamed "Cowboy" screaming and rushed to his aid.
When he got there he saw Miller stabbing another man and intervened. Miller then asked Seaton if he was a Christian and believed in Jesus Christ.
"Mr. Seaton told him he is and does at which time Mr. Miller licked his finger and wiped a cross on Mr. Seatons' forehead," the affidavit states.
Seaton's fiancee, Hannah Gibson, was with him at the time. When Miller questioned her faith, "she replied she wasn't and Mr. Miller stated, 'I have to kill her.'"
Miller then stepped toward Gibson. Seaton intervened suffering a cut on the ear. Gibson was also cut in the jaw/cheek area.
A fourth victim, Jason Haselhorst was stabbed four times in the back in America the Beautiful Park.
The fifth victim, Daniel Mikolajcyzk, was stabbed 7 times in the back, arm and shoulder. He told officers he was walking along Boulder Street near the New Life Downtown the Common when Miller approached and told him, "I am Jesus Christ."
When Miller questioned his faith, Mikolajcyzk said he accepted Jesus Christ several years ago. Miller again licked a finger and put a cross on Mikolajcyzk's forehead. When he said he didn't want to be licked, Miller became violent. Mikolajcyzk thought he was being punched, but later realized he was being stabbed.
On the night of the stabbing, Sgt. Peterson told reporters that at least two of the victims said they thought the suspect was homeless and delirious.
"We located two people who reportedly been assaulted by a transient individual appeared to be a little delirious," he said.
The stabbing spree ended when Miller was pinned down by a group of men outside of Tony's Bar. Friends Philip Lear and William Boddington were leaving Tony's when they were approached by a man named Cody McEntyre.
McEntyre explained had seen the suspect swinging the knife and tried to intervene when we was stabbed twice in the chest. The men were able to pin the Miller to the ground until the police could arrive.
"Those victims were able to physically detain the suspect and then officers took him into custody," CSPD Public Information Officer Lt. James Sokolik explained to reporters on Monday.
In the process of pinning Miller down, the affidavit says that Boddington was stabbed four times; once in the shoulder and three times on the head. Lear was also cut on the hand. An eighth victim, identified as Kurtis Stanley, was in surgery on Monday and unavailable to be interviewed for the affidavit.
As of Wednesday, only one victim was still receiving treatment at UCHealth Memorial Central and that person is said to be in good condition.
Miller is due to appear in court again next on Thursday, January 23 at 8:30 a.m.
