Littleton 4/11/13
April 11, 2013
Arapahoe County, Colorado • Volume 124, Issue 12
75 cents
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourlittletonnews.com
Slaying detailed in court Accused killer, teen girl face charges By Jennifer Smith
jsmith@ourcoloradonews.com
Centennial resident Ann Stong flips through the well-worn pages of a family Bible from 1864 that she never knew existed. Hundreds of miles away, a total stranger spotted it on the auction block and tracked her down. Stong and her family drove to Arizona to bid on the piece that would eventually reconnect her with multiple generations of her family history. Photos by Deborah Grigsby
19th-century Bible back with family Total stranger feels compelled to track down Centennial resident By Deborah Grigsby
If the prosecution is right, Walter Zucchetti’s death in August 2012 was the result of a robbery gone out of control. If the defense is right, Teddy Puente is being falsely accused by a fragile 14-yearold girl. Judge Kurt Horton heard testimony from both sides during the preliminary hearing April 5. He ruled April 9 that the case against Puente meets the standard to proceed to trial, and set arraignment for June 3. Zucchetti’s body was discovered face-down in Puente his apartment on Aug. 13, dressed only in boxers and a T-shirt. There was red duct tape wrapped around his head, covering his mouth. During the April 5 preliminary hearing, Arapahoe County Coroner Michael Dobersen testified there was no way to tell exactly when the 66-year-old Zucchetti died, but his state of decomposition was consistent with early August. Dobersen ruled the death a homicide resulting from positional mechanical asphyxia, which basically means Zucchetti suffocated under his own weight. Obesity, emphysema, a fractured rib, the duct tape Slaying continues on Page 9
dgrigsby@ourcoloradonews.com When Ann Stong received an email from Mary Marsh last September, she almost deleted it. “I usually don’t open emails from strangers, but this one was different,” she said. “I had to open it.” More than 1,500 miles away, Arizona resident Mary Marsh had stopped by a local antique mall in hopes of finding a barrister’s case for her husband. “I saw this Bible and thought, `Wow, what a find for someone,’” said Marsh from her home near Scottsdale, Ariz. Printed in Philadelphia in 1864, the Bible’s worn calf leather cover and ornate brass lock held the key to many missing pieces in someone’s life, thought Marsh. “That afternoon, I just couldn’t get that book out of my head — in fact, I dreamed about it that night,” she said. “I didn’t dream about all the bookcases I had seen, I dreamed about the Bible.” Compelled to find the owner, Marsh spent hours entering some of the names she had seen in the Bible into several online search engines. “It was like there were angels on my shoulder telling me I had to do this,” she said. Marsh eventually connected some of the names with Stong, a Centennial resident. “So, I sent her an email with a link to the POSTAL ADDRESS
Littleton joins health initiative City is first to sign on with Colorado campaign By Jennifer Smith Nearly 150 years old, Ann Stong’s family Bible was rescued from an Arizona auction block through the actions of a total stranger. Even with its weathered leather cover, the book’s pages are still in good condition, with legible hand-written entries and historic tintype photos of her ancestors. item and to the auction information,” she said. Stong, an avid amateur genealogist whose family often teases her abut spending more time with her dead relatives than she does with those still living, was delighted. “I emailed her right back,” said Stong. “When I saw her photos of the Bible and inscriptions, I immediately recognized the names and the handwriting from documents I have in my own collection.” The two exchanged several emails and
Stong decided she would make the 1,500mile trip to Avondale, Ariz. to attend the auction. Marsh was stunned. “I thought, `Oh my, gosh, I better be right,” she said. The morning of the auction came. Bidding for the Bible began at $30. Another bidder offered $40. “My heart just stopped,” said Stong. “I had no idea what I’d do if I couldn’t have that Bible.”
jsmith@ourcoloradonews.com City council on April 2 unanimously made Littleton the first city to sign on with the LiveWell Colorado HEAL Cities and Towns Campaign. HEAL stands for “Healthy Eating, Active Living.” The program is designed to help city officials adopt policies that improve access to physical activity and healthy food. It’s a partnership between LiveWell Colorado and the Colorado Municipal League, funded through a grant from the state health department. “At LiveWell Colorado, we know that supporting healthy choices is essential to addressing the obesity epidemic among Colorado’s children and adults,” said Julie
Bible continues on Page 9
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Health continues on Page 9
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