Attorneys delivered opening statements Tuesday in a Boulder County homicide case in which a man is accused of shooting a woman on Flagstaff Mountain.
Jaime Alonso Moore is charged with first-degree murder, felony murder, aggravated robbery, tampering with a deceased body, tampering with physical evidence and abuse of a corpse in connection with the death of Alexis Baca, 25.
Baca’s body was discovered near the Realization Point Trailhead on July 24, 2022. Four people were arrested in connection with her death, and Moore is the last to resolve his case after the other three took plea deals.
Prosecutors said Baca was killed after she got stuck in Colorado after coming up from New Mexico as a passenger. According to an affidavit, Colorado State Patrol pulled over the Mercury Mountaineer Baca was in near Fort Morgan and arrested the driver, Jeffrey Podolske, on an outstanding warrant.
Sitting in the passenger seat was Baca, who was now stranded with Podolske’s car, 5,000 fentanyl pills, meth, $15,000, and two loaded guns.
According to the affidavit, Moore, Ashley Provine, Cody Hobirk and Elizabeth Griffin drove out to Colorado on July 23, 2022, from New Mexico after Baca reached out to Hobirk for help.
The group then made its way to Boulder and then Flagstaff Mountain, where prosecutors allege Moore shot Baca in the head while the group stole her money and drugs.
“Mr. Moore chose to take Ms. Baca up Flagstaff; he chose to take Miss Baca up to Realization Point. He chose to pull out a gun, point it at her, and end Miss Baca’s life,” said Boulder County Deputy District Attorney Nicholas Trevino in his opening arguments.
But Defense Attorney Carter Gee-Taylor said in his opening statements that it was a case of self-defense and that there was no intent to harm Baca when Moore got in the car with her.
“Fort Morgan is surrounded by plenty of dirt roads, pull-offs at every exit, and gunshots are very common in the area,” Gee-Taylor said. “Instead, the car drove towards people and towards witnesses.”
Moore stated that Baca was high and acting difficult. Gee Taylor depicted that she was driving erratically but appeared to be lost.
Eventually, they pulled over in Boulder up in the mountains.
Gee-Taylor said that when they pulled over, Moore saw Baca draw a gun from below her left knee and Moore shot first. He said that the shooting was “without intent and without forewarning”.
“By now, Mr. Hobirk grabbed her body, emptied her pockets looking for that last fentanyl pill and Moore saw him throw Ms. Baca’s body across the asphalt,” said Gee-Taylor.
Moore’s trial is set to last about two weeks.
Hobirk, 44, pleaded guilty to felony murder and is set for sentencing in January.
Provine, 19, was sentenced to four years in the Colorado Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to accessory to a Class 1 or 2 felony; accessory to a Class 3, 4, or 5 felony; and tampering with evidence.
Griffin, 24, was sentenced to four years of probation with 18 months of work release after pleading guilty to accessory to a Class 3, 4 or 5 felony and tampering with evidence.