Pueblo man set for trial in shooting death of ex-girlfriend in March 2022

Editor's note: This story contains references to allegations of domestic and other violence. Information about domestic violence warning signs and resources for those in crisis can be found at the bottom of this story.

A Pueblo judge found enough evidence to send a man to trial in the March 2022 shooting death of Kaylie Marcum.

Jesse Grondahl, 36, faces first-degree murder charges in connection with the death of the 23-year-old Marcum, Grondahl's ex-girlfriend and the mother of his child.

Marcum, who also went by Kaylie Lints, was at Riverside Bar and Grill late on the night of March 13, 2022, Detective Joe Cardona of the Pueblo Police Department said Friday during a preliminary hearing.

Marcum had been dropped off at her residence earlier that day by a friend whom she planned to go out with later that night. However, after being dropped off, Marcum texted the friend saying she probably couldn't go out because Grondahl was "having a fit" and had hidden her keys from her.

A short time later, Marcum again texted her friend asking for a ride to go out and saying she needed a drink, Cardona testified.

While out at the bar, Cardona claimed Grondahl repeatedly called and texted Marcum. Marcum allegedly responded to one call and asked Grondahl what he wanted, but heard only silence on the other end.

Text logs indicate Marcum told Grondahl that the pair were broken up and that she was not coming home that night. While the two had separated as partners, they still lived together to co-parent their child, Cardona testified.

Shortly after midnight, Grondahl allegedly entered the bar and appeared to be looking for someone, a bartender at the establishment later told police, according to Cardona's testimony. At around 12:10 a.m., Cardona said, security camera footage showed Grondahl approach the table where Marcum and her friend were seated.

The friend later told police that Grondahl asked to sit down and Marcum told him he needed to go home. Marcum reportedly told him that he was "making her friend nervous" and Grondahl allegedly responded that it was "about to get worse," before shooting Marcum in the chest and exiting the bar.

Cardona testified that in security camera footage later reviewed by police, Grondahl did not appear to show any emotion as he left the scene.

Grondahl then walked outside, called police, and surrendered on scene. Despite the best efforts of both bar patrons and first responders, Marcum died within minutes, according to Cardona.

After Grondahl was taken into custody, he allegedly showed self-harming behavior, purposely hitting his head on the cage of a Pueblo police officer's patrol car and later on an interview table.

He allegedly told a police officer he should have kept the gun and made the officer shoot him. He also said that night was his and Marcum's four-year anniversary.

Cardona testified that Grondahl told police he had "aimed for the shoulder" and expressed disbelief the shot he fired was fatal.

A doctor who performed an autopsy on Marcum stated that the bullet entered just below her neckline before exiting her right armpit, striking the aorta. The doctor indicated that the bullet had been fired from near point-blank range.

Sgt. Steven Jesik, a police firearms instructor, stated in Friday's hearing that a single spent .45-caliber shell casing was found at the scene. Jesik testified that while Marcum's wound was a few inches above "center mass," the placement of the shot was likely to be deadly in most cases.

Cardona stated that Marcum's father-in-law had suspected physical abuse in the relationship between Marcum and Grondahl, but Marcum had denied it. However, Marcum's friend at the scene of the murder alleged to police that Grondahl had previously broken doors, pulled out a gun, and threatened suicide.

Paul Jose, a public defender representing Grondahl in the case, asked Cardona about a call made to police about an hour and a half before the shooting.

Cardona confirmed that a friend of Grondahl's, who knew him from previous Navy service, had called from Japan to tell police Grondahl had made statements that he was going to take his own life.

Cardona also testified that Grondahl told his mother that he'd planned to go to the bar to kill himself in front of Marcum, but decided at the last second to shoot her instead.

When asked by Jose if, when he'd pulled a gun in the past, Grondahl had ever directly threatened Marcum with it, Cardona stated that Grondahl had only used it to threaten to kill himself.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline defines repeated threats of suicide as a form of emotional abuse.

"Your partner is manipulating you by playing on your feelings of love and fear for them," the hotline's website states. "You might get angry when this happens, but you also might feel like you have to give in to them to avoid a potential tragedy."

Jose argued that a charge of first-degree murder requires deliberation as well as intent. He cited previous cases where deliberation was only found when the offender used repeated acts of violence on the victim in the same incident, and argued that Grondahl did not "deliberate" before shooting Marcum. However, he acknowledged that under Colorado law, deliberation can take place in a very short amount of time.

Judge Thomas Flesher stated that in a light most favorable to the prosecution — the standard for preliminary hearings — the 10th Judicial District DA's office had met its burden, and set the case to continue to trial.

Grondahl is scheduled for an arraignment on Aug. 11.

More on the public safety beat: Pueblo law enforcement agencies weigh in on recent rash of fatal hit-and-runs in Pueblo

Domestic violence signs to watch for

Domestic violence, according to the Department of Justice, is a pattern of abuse that can include physical, sexual, emotional, verbal, and financial elements where the abuser's conscious or unconscious goal is to gain or maintain control. There are not always physical signs of abuse.

Girls and young women ages 16-24 experience the highest rate of intimate partner violence.

Early warning signs of an abusive partner include:

• Controlling behavior

• Guilt trips

• Threats

• Intimidation

• Isolation

• Jealousy

• Name-calling

• Manipulation

• Explosive temper

• Mood swings

• Checking your cellphone or email without permission

Help for people in crisis

If you or someone you care about is in a domestic violence situation, call the 24/7 hotline for ACOVA — A Community Organization for Victim Assistance, at 719-583-6250.

You may also contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (1-800-799-7233.)

All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in court. Arrests and charges are merely accusations by law enforcement until, and unless, a suspect is convicted of a crime.

Questions, comments, or story tips? Contact Justin at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @jayreutter1. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo man who police say shot ex-girlfriend in local bar set for trial