Life sentence in murder of forest surveyor
David Montero, Rocky Mountain News
Published October 6, 2007 at midnight
FAIRPLAY — Robert Amos pleaded guilty today to killing a 24-year-old geological surveyor this summer and was immediately sentenced to life in prison without parole.
In addition, Amos got 60 years for a kidnapping charge and using a deadly weapon in the crime.
Amos, dressed in a red jail jumpsuit, sat in the Park County courthouse and answered Judge Charles Barton's questions with brevity — a far cry from his preliminary hearing in March where he asked the state of Colorado to execute him for the crime.
Seeming resigned to the fact that he wouldn't get the death penalty, he was quick to agree to everything Barton said — sometimes cutting the judge off in mid-sentence to answer "yes" to questions about his ability to understand what was happening.
Prosecutor Molly Chilson said she had talked with the victim's family about penalties and that Alyssa Heberton-Morimoto's relatives and husband all opposed the death penalty. Heberton-Morimoto's husband sat in the front row with the victim's advocate and was expressionless during the proceeding.
Other friends and family members present in court listened as Chilson went over what happened when Amos, who had been camping, came upon Heberton-Morimoto in the San Isabel National Forest and how he strangled her. One woman had her head buried in her hands the entire time. Amos, who was convicted of murder in 1981 in Kansas, has never explained his motive.
Everybody left the courtroom without comment, and nobody spoke in court when Barton gave them the chance prior to issuing the sentence.
Amos had been frustrated with the court system, believing his crime deserved the death penalty and even complained that the advocates and attorneys appointed to him didn't seem to want to respect his wishes. He represented himself in court today.
"You can appoint me three attorneys, right? And everyone is ready to represent me and set me free, OK?" he asked. "You understand this, right? But you're not wiling to represent me for doing what is right.
"It's insane."
Barton also ordered him to pay restitution of more than $5,500.
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