Joshua Spielman

A gifted athlete, a creative writer with a sensitive soul, and a young man who was deeply loved by his family, Joshua D. Spielman was just beginning to forge his path in life. Born on September 15, 1998, the 21-year-old Black man was a proud 2017 graduate of Cherry Creek High School in Greenwood Village, Colorado, and was studying business in Denver. Known as Josh to his friends and family, he was remembered for lighting up every room he entered and for giving the best hugs. He was a talented multi-sport athlete who began wrestling at age four and excelled at soccer, basketball, and football, playing quarterback for his high school team. His family recalled his passion for sports, his loyalty to the Denver Nuggets and Chicago Bears, and his love for movies, which he dreamed of one day writing himself. His passing left an irreplaceable hole in the hearts of his parents, Anne Stotts and Jesse Spielman, and his extended family.

Tragically, Josh's life was cut short in the early hours of Friday, May 22, 2020. At around 1:00 a.m., Denver police were alerted that a man had arrived at an Aurora-area hospital with a stab wound. That man was identified as Joshua Spielman. Despite medical efforts, he was pronounced dead. Investigators determined the stabbing had occurred in the 1800 block of South Quebec Street in Denver, near Cherry Creek Drive South. The Denver Police Department immediately launched a homicide investigation into the violent death of the promising young student.

The investigation quickly led to a suspect. Four days after the fatal stabbing, on May 26, 2020, police arrested 26-year-old Jonathan Jordan in connection with Joshua's death. The Denver District Attorney's Office subsequently charged Jordan with one count of first-degree murder. The specific details of what led to the stabbing and the nature of the relationship, if any, between Joshua and Jordan were not released to the public. Authorities sought information from the community to help piece together the events of that fatal morning, and Metro Denver Crime Stoppers offered a reward for tips leading to an arrest.

Following Jordan's arrest and the murder charge, the case entered the court system. A preliminary hearing for Jonathan Jordan was scheduled for August 3, 2020. This hearing is intended to determine if sufficient evidence exists to proceed to a full trial. The community and Joshua's grieving family looked to the legal process for answers and a measure of justice for a life taken far too soon.

The profound loss devastated Joshua's family. His obituary described him as a "one of a kind human being who was full of light and love and had such a sensitive soul." It noted, "Josh was tragically taken too early from this world as the victim of violent crime." The pain was so immense that his father, Jesse, was described in his own obituary two years later as having had his heart "broken into a million pieces when his son passed away." A private funeral for Joshua was held, limited to immediate family due to the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions at the time.

As of the latest available public information from July 2020, the case against Jonathan Jordan was proceeding through the initial stages of the legal process. The outcome of the scheduled preliminary hearing and any subsequent trial, verdict, or sentence have not been made available in public online records. The case remains a painful and unresolved chapter for all who knew and loved Josh Spielman, a young man remembered for his kindness, his athletic prowess, and the bright future that was stolen from him.