Walmart Shooting Suspect Appears In Adams Co. Court

BRIGHTON, CO (AP) -- Scott A. Ostrem, the roofing company worker accused of fatally shooting three people at the Thornton Walmart, appeared in Adams Co. Court Thursday. He is being held without bond and will face three counts of first-degree murder, and possibly a charge of attempted murder, he was told.

Adams County District Judge Ted C. Tow III said if found guilty, Ostrem's charges would mean a life sentence in prison (without parole) or the death penalty. Ostrem barely spoke during the hearing, responding only "yes" when asked if he understood his rights

After the hearing, District Attorney Dave Young declined comment on whether his office would seek the death penalty, the Associated Press reported.
Ostrem allegedly walked into the Walmart in Thornton, a large blue-collar suburb about 10 miles north of Denver, and shooting and killing two men and a woman Nov. 1. He was arrested Thursday after a brief car chase near his apartment, which is located about 5 miles from the store.

Killed were Pamela Marques, 52, of Denver; Carlos Moreno, 66, of Thornton; and Victor Vasquez, 26, of Denver. None were Walmart employees, and all were Hispanic. Ostrem is white.

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The judge denied a request by public defender Emily Fleischmann to have police reassert control of the store's interior so Ostrem's defense team could conduct its own investigation of the crime scene, according to AP.

Police have released control of the store back to Walmart, which said Friday it had not determined when the store will reopen. Because police no longer control the store, Ostrem's lawyers would have to ask Walmart for permission to investigate the crime scene, the AP reported.

Residents of the Samuel Park Apartments building where Ostrem lived described him as a rude man who kept to himself.

Teresa Muniz said she sometimes saw Ostrem carrying a shotgun or a bow and set of arrows to and from the building. A Facebook profile that appears to belong to Ostrem lists only one friend, a woman who is from Thornton and who has since moved to Florida.
David Heidt, his boss at B&M Roofing, said Ostrem worked in the company's metal fabrication shop for the last three years without any problems until he walked away from his job Wednesday morning.
"We're all bewildered as to where we are now," Heidt said.
Ostrem in 2015 filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and listed his income for the previous year as $47,028. He estimated that he owed more than $85,000 including credit card debt.
He had minor run-ins with police dating back to the 1990s, including a December 1999 charge of resisting arrest in Denver that was dismissed the following year. Ostrem has been tied to at least 11 street addresses, including six apartments, in the Denver metro area since 1991.

Associated Press writers James Anderson, Tatiana Flowers and Colleen Slevin in Denver and Jean Lotus of Patch contributed to this report.

Image via AP. Thornton Walmart shooting suspect, Scott A. Ostrem, 47, appeared in a Adams Co. Courtroom Friday