On the evening of February 20, 2021, 31-year-old Tad Jeffery Michael Trefethen was found in a room at the Downtown Motel in Trinidad, Colorado, suffering multiple gunshot wounds. Officers responded to a 9:23 p.m. call from motel owner Joseph Shiloh Kirkland, who reported an attempted stabbing. Investigators say Kirkland told police Trefethen had tried to stab him; a witness reported hearing Kirkland shout drop the knife three times, then heard four to five gunshots and saw Kirkland place a gun on the floor and call 9-1-1.

Authorities say Kirkland had ejected Trefethen from the motel earlier that day for alleged theft and that Trefethen returned, entered a room without permission and was confronted while allegedly stealing from other residents. An autopsy found Trefethen had been shot seven times; toxicology detected amphetamine, methamphetamine, opiates and tricyclic antidepressants. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation assisted in the inquiry, and Kirkland was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and held on bond.

Does anyone have additional information about the events at the Downtown Motel or about interactions between Trefethen and Kirkland leading up to that night?