On February 16, 2024, 24-year-old University of Colorado, Colorado Springs student Samuel Knopp was found shot to death in a campus dorm room. A 26-year-old woman, Celie Rain Montgomery, was also found shot and died; authorities investigated both deaths as homicides. Samuel, known as Sam to friends, was a senior studying music and an accomplished guitarist preparing for his final recital. Friends and faculty remembered him as warm, friendly and active in the Visual and Performing Arts department.

Investigators treated the killings as an isolated incident and said the victims appeared to have known their attacker. Police identified 25-year-old fellow student and Knopp’s roommate, Nicholas Jordan, as a suspect. A manhunt followed and Jordan was arrested three days later; he was charged with two counts of first-degree murder.

If anyone on campus that morning or who knew Samuel’s schedule, rehearsals, or relationships has information, please come forward to the investigators handling the case.