November 25, 2021
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JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
GoldenTranscript.net
VOLUME 155 | ISSUE 49
Ewing found competent to stand trial BY BOB WOOLEY BWOOLEY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Gary Sohrweid, artist and retired Evergreen High School art teacher, stands next to a painting he did of elk for his twin brother, PHOTO BY DEB HURLEY BROBST Larry, and Larry’s wife Elaine on their 50th wedding anniversary.
A bucket-list art show Evergreen artist Gary Sohrweid shows his life’s work at one-man show at CAE BY DEB HURLEY BROBST DBROBST@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Gary Sohrweid has worn many hats over the years both literally
and figuratively. The 82-year-old — known for his Western attire, especially his cowboy hats and boots — was an art teacher at Evergreen High School for 30 years, has been a member of Evergreen Lutheran Church for 55 years and instrumental in organizing its annual Grove Sale, volunteered at the National Western Stock Show for more than 20 years, is involved in area theater groups, and has taken and taught art classes at Center of the Arts
Evergreen. Sohrweid crossed something off his bucket list Nov. 12-14: having a one-man art show. The gallery at Center for the Arts Evergreen was filled with 100 of his paintings, showing his versatility, imagination, love of the West and more. Friends from the many areas of his life came to the gallery to view his artwork, many in awe of his artistry. SEE SOHRWEID, P10
In August, an Arapahoe County jury found Alex Ewing, 61, guilty of the 1984 Aurora killings of Bruce, Debra and Melissa Bennett. Ewing was also scheduled to stand trial in Jefferson County for the 1984 sexual assault and murder of Patricia Smith of Lakewood, last month. But just one day into the Jeffco trial, Ewings’ lawyers requested a mistrial, to allow for Ewing an evaluation of his mental competence. The statutory process to determine competency is for the court to order the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo (CMHIP) to prepare an evaluation. In this case, the evaluation was performed by two licensed psychologists. According to the Jeffco DA’s office, CMHIP provided the court and interested parties a report finding Ewing competent to stand trial on Nov. 11. The finding was not contested. On Nov. 15, Russell formally entered a finding that Ewing is competent to proceed and set the jury trial to begin on March 25, 2022. Ewing was serving time in an Arizona prison when a DNA match linked him to the Bennett and Smith cases that had gone unsolved for decades. The Bennett case had been the subject of national attention in 1984 due to the gruesome nature of the crimes. The victims, including 7-year-old Melissa, were bludgeoned to death with a hammer.
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 17 | SPORTS: PAGE 20
TAPPING TALENT
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P14