Donald William Ott was 20 when he was found dead in his Colorado Springs apartment on North Murray Boulevard on December 25, 1986. His roommate discovered him slumped on a sofa with a single, close-range gunshot wound to the head. A large caliber firearm was believed to have been used; no weapon was at the scene and investigators noted an injury mark on Ott’s face. A television and stereo were missing, though there were no signs of forced entry.

Early lines of inquiry included suicide and possible retaliation after Ott had subdued a robber at the diner where he worked; both were ruled out. Detectives focused on a dispute involving Ott’s half-brother and identified two men, 23-year-old Brian Pattrick Moore and 29-year-old Kurtis Kurt Ozechowski, who had gone to Ott’s apartment over a small drug debt. According to the investigation, Pattrick struck Ott with a gun, which then discharged, killing him, and the pair fled with valuables.

In January 1987 both men were indicted on charges including first-degree murder and armed robbery; by May they pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. Pattrick was sentenced to 30 years and Ozechowski to 18 years. Did anyone who knew Donald or who lived in that neighborhood at the time notice suspicious visitors or activity around Christmas 1986?