CO CO - Jakeob McKnight, 10, Lakewood, 21 Jul 1991

[arkayo]

I grew up in that neighborhood, had friends in common with Jakeob McKnight, was actually there when they found him, and had a close relative who was tight with law enforcement. That sounds too good to be true as far as a (lurker!) poster popping in, but I was searching for the case and saw that the original poster is a family member. My relative always said that law enforcement believed 100% that it was Chinn but were stymied by the alibi, and that they thought the mother was lying. I haven't clicked all the links above regarding whose mother, as I thought it was Chinn's, but either way, that's what I recall. It was the alibi. That law enforcement believed 100% there was a murderer living near us that they couldn't get.

It wasn't especially irresponsible of Jakeob McKnight's parents to assume he was safe in the greenbelt with a group of kids. It was just tragic that he didn't have a bike on the day he ran into whoever he ran into. I used to bike there by myself. It was a pretty safe neighborhood, but I do remember there was some reputation for transients and drugs in that specific part of the greenbelt where he was found. I don't remember how much of that I knew before the murder, but it could be a little scary if you were there alone. It would definitely be a good place for a predator to find kids without being seen. The side of the greenbelt closer to the Stone House, where I think McKnight's memorial bench is, feels much safer than the side closer to Wadsworth where he was found. The Stone House side is better tended and more full of people out taking strolls, where the Wadsworth side feels more scrubby, and Wadsworth is a bigger street. No idea where the kids were actually swimming; they might have been on the safer side at some point. Though the other side never felt particularly unsafe before the murder. I wouldn't have been there by myself very late, but it wasn't exactly terrifying.

He was found close to Wadsworth, which is across the street from the 7-11. I recall thinking/being told that Chinn was still living over on the other side of Wadsworth, near my neighborhood, which was creepy.

I will ask my relative for zchick but unfortunately I think what law enforcement knows is what the McKnights know. I had always been under the impression that McKnight was sexually assaulted though, but that might be poor memory/Chinn's past.

 

[arkayo]

I should add for people unfamiliar with the area that the Wadsworth side was across from a somewhat less safe area due to the 7-11 hang-around culture, Sir Frederick's Liquors, being on a major thoroughfare, more crime in the neighborhood across Wadsworth than on the western side, etc. You could also be on highway 285 within minutes of leaving that general area. People can look at a map and look at where Wadsworth and Hampden (285) intersect...it's very close. But Chinn being there and it not being him would be weird. Not impossible, just weird.

The likelihood of there being more than one child predator hanging around in the greenbelt waiting for kids at the exact same time seems far-fetched to me, the kids having actually hung out with one who was altogether innocent even more so. It wasn't that scary. Though there were more transients there than I realized when I was really young. I myself never encountered any strange people there and that was exactly my neighborhood.

I'm hoping to not make hanging around WS a habit, so I don't think I'm going to park myself here, but if I were going to see if there might be other suspects I would probably look at offender registries and then databases to see if any of those people were at those addresses or in the area back in 1991. Of course the 285 angle throws that out the window, but I think Chinn is probably a thousand times more likely than some random person preying on kids in the greenbelt and then hopping onto 285 and heading for the mountains.

I will post here with any update from my relative that's helpful.

EDIT: Looking at the Denver Post article, I see someone pointing to a person who lived possibly "in the apartments behind 7-11," which is what I heard from my relative but I thought it was Chinn who lived in them. Maybe he did, but I remember distinctly the issues being: 1. an alibi law enforcement thought was fake; 2. apartments behind 7-11. My memory on the perp's name is less solid than on those two details. I don't recall anything about a perp I'd never heard of though.

 

[Bradley]

Chinn never lived anywhere close to the murder site; he was living with his parents at the time on South Jamison Court in Littleton.

The memorial bench, which was near the west edge of the pond, was stolen a few years later, then pushed out of the back of a pickup truck into an intersection during a chase. A tree planted in Jakeob's memory, with a small plaque set in the ground, remains.

It was Chinn's friends and the mother of Tom Judge who provided his alibi.

There was a convicted rapist living in nearby apartments at the time; I do not remember his name, but because of his criminal past, he was considered at least a person of interest.

According to at least two Rocky Mountain News articles I read, Jakeob was not sexually assaulted. However, a "criminal profile" (which I believe has negligible value in most cases) described the perpetrator as a "likely pedophile." I don't know why.

Has anyone found out anything about Chinn's trial and or conviction on the latest *advertiser censored* charges? I cannot find nothing, and it does not appear that Chinn is currently incarcerated or in jail awaiting trial.

 

[arkayo]

Thanks for the detail about there being someone living in those apartments whom the police had looked at. That always stuck with me, being a kid living nearby, but my memory is clearly a bit fuzzy on who it was. That person might have been my relative's suspect, or maybe it just frightened me so much it stayed with me that there was such a person there. Thanks for the clarification on whose mother it was. I remember the mother providing an alibi being a huge frustration for law enforcement, from what I heard from the close relative.

I will nudge my family again for recollections. I have a troubled relationship with the relative in question so I can't do it directly, but for the McKnights will get back on it. Perhaps I can also get that person to get some info from old contacts, and maybe one of those people would even be interested in posting here.

 

[Bradley]

I found the convicted rapist's name: James Delgado.

(See blogs.denverpost.com/coldcases/2008/01/15/new-profile.../2/)

Delgado was a convicted rapist who lived in the apartments south and east of where Jakeob's body was found. Some sources have indicated that Jakeob's father believes that Delgado was the murderer; however, there are a few pieces that don't quite fit: Delgado raped a female adult, and had no record of interest in males and or children.

 

[Kell1]

Sadly pedophiles usually molest anywhere from 50-150 victims before they are discovered.

Looking at that fact its quite possible that Chinn had many, more victims that hadn't been discovered before he was caught

Facing possible charges, for his last molestation in which he was identified, could've been a precipitating factor to possible homicide, if he felt he could face ore charges on a new case .

It seems as if the police feel it was indeed a knife, that was used and not something found at the scene which indicates planning to some extent. Homicide though It may have not been intended, the presence of the knife or sharp object would indicate that it could be, or at least force, was considered to some point .

You have to remember too, this is 22 yo man facing charges for molesting a 9 yo boy (Pedophiles usually have a pretty well defined age preference for their victims) .. who, while still facing charges, and was ORDERED BY A JUDGE NOT TO BE IN THE PRESENCE OF CHILDREN WITHOUT SUPERVISION... and is then seen in a 711 with another child, of the same preferential age group , buying candy.

Seems indicative of a very fixated individual.

He doesn't care if he's seen at that point because he has a victim and he's by himself.

NOW the homicide itself could have different meanings, Wesley Allen Dodd , had a jump off point where it went quickly from simple molestation, to multiple Murder his 1st attempt.

Could this be the beginning of Sexual Psychopathy?.. maybe, especially if the individual knew he had AIDS and considered his life worthless at that point

But It could be indicative, of panic.. perhaps that Jackob would tell, and this individual would face more charges

Sadly it sounds to me like Chinn was the best suspect given the articles above.

 

[Bradley]

Soon after Jakeob's body was discovered, there was a police-coordinated volunteer search of the area. Police said specifically that they were looking for a knife. There is no doubt whatsoever that Jakeob was murdered by multiple stabbings. . .I've forgotten how many, maybe because I don't want to remember. 31, or somewhere close to that.

Chinn himself appeared to post on the now-defunct Denver Post cold cases blog, denying that he had ever been in the 7-11 with Jakeob. I don't believe him. . .

The clerk had been so traumatized by this and a previous robbery or attempt that she was unable to testify. According to newspaper reports, however, she asked Jakeob if he was buying ice cream for his brother. Jakeob replied that the man he was with was not his brother.

I'm not sure I buy the awaiting-trial-as-a-trigger-for-homicide theory. Where is the logic in committing an even more serious crime to deflect attention from the first one? I've never heard of even various classes of psycho- or sociopathology that thought that way.

I have wondered, however, whether Jakeob was murdered because of a possibility that he would "tell." Remember, however, that Jakeob was NOT sexually assaulted.

Chinn was not HIV positive at the time, and as far as I know still isn't. His pal Tom Judge did die from HIV, according to what I have read. But I've never heard of being HIv-positive as a motive for murder, either.

 

[Kell1]

I'm not sure I buy the awaiting-trial-as-a-trigger-for-homicide theory. Where is the logic in committing an even more serious crime to deflect attention from the first one? I've never heard of even various classes of psycho- or sociopathology that thought that way.

Does happen unfortunately , and not that rare at all , you have to remember you are dealing with criminals, not your normal people.

Not all of them are psychopaths, not all of them are sociopaths. Nor do all socio or psychopaths kill.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/...er-while-out-on-bail-in-rape-case.html?pg=all

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukn...itted-every-ten-days-by-criminal-on-bail.html

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...fMZT0xwqXJlHcKrfw&sig2=iT3EA_F4nmb83xiYKN4SfA

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10825108


In many cases, you will hear the term "precipitating stressor".. well being on trial with the possibility of a lengthy jail sentence, would be considered a BIG stressor. Figure into that that if the victim he just touched, or exposed himself to or whatever short of actually raping, runs home and tells mom.. there goes ANY chance of him beating that case. Especially when he was ordered BY the judge to stay away from kids ... Its possible he panicked

 

[Bradley]

Thanks for the clarification, Rich. Makes a bit more sense now.

A psychologist I used to work with said that she thought OJ had actually convinced himself that he was innocent, though she didn't believe he really was.

WIthout sidetracking into the OJ saga, I wonder if it's actually possible that Chinn committed this murder and has convinced himself that he didn't.

 

[Kell1]

Thanks for the clarification, Rich. Makes a bit more sense now.

A psychologist I used to work with said that she thought OJ had actually convinced himself that he was innocent, though she didn't believe he really was.

WIthout sidetracking into the OJ saga, I wonder if it's actually possible that Chinn committed this murder and has convinced himself that he didn't.

There's an interesting, paradigm that exists, between, law enforcement, academia, and medical professionals when it comes to behavioral analysis.

Former FBI profiler John Douglas, once said that Psychiatrists (psychologists) usually don't have experience using psychological data to analyze crime in terms of retro classification.

And that's because they (Psychiatrists /psychologists)come from a background, where they are trying to analyze, a person, to explain their behavior.

Where a Medical professional, could say " a Schizophrenic could do X" .. taking a personality and explaining their behavior, A profiler, will take the behavior and work backward, taking the behavior and inferring a personality from that standpoint.

A good point is that a Psychiatrist was the one who suggested (serial Killer) Glen Rogers , as a potential suspect, in the Simpson Case, however the psychological profile, backed by the evidence pointed to OJ

In recent years though that has changed, but being old school I tend to favor what the FBI will generate before I look at the profiles, given by medical or other sources.

In some cases, profiles, will conflict, (For EX, the conflicting analysis of the Jon Benet Ramsey case from former FBI profilers John Douglas, and Greg McCrary) and sometimes they are WRONG.. which isn't often publicized.

As for whether or not a killer could convince himself whether or not he didn't commit a crime, possibly, we know for a fact criminals have passed polygraphs, given enough time.

However given the type that Simpson is I think he more enjoyed the fact he got away with it more than he convinced himself he didn't do it .

 

[upshot]

I knew "Felix" and all who he was with before this happened. I have always felt that he did this and the others are holding back on what they know. This case can be solved.
Not sure if the police have tried to interview Linz and Seila again, but they may be not speaking because of their fear of getting locked up. Perhaps they can be given a free ticket in their part to speak.

 

[upshot]

By the way, Felix did carry a knife with him on his belt and talked about how much he liked little boys. I always wanted to clobber him when I saw him but I am not a violent person. Everyone at the dinner party that night were close friends if anyone was wondering.
I am not sure if I knew Tom Judge, but Felix use to be with a couple of guy friends. One of them was overweight and gave me the creeps. Maybe that was Tom, but whoever he was I would see him with young boys.

 

[margarita25]

Welcome upshot


:welcome5:

 

[margarita25]

http://blogs.denverpost.com/coldcases/wp-content/photos/article_1.jpg

 

[Bradley]

Perhaps this will give us some insight into "Little Birdie's" claim:

http://blogs.denverpost.com/coldcases/2014/07/18/lakewood/8872/6/

Seems unlikely to me: "Oh, officers, I understand that I might be a suspect because of my past criminal history, but I actually saw BOTH of the suspects mentioned in the Denver Post, crossing one of the most heavily traveled North-South thoroughfares in the metro area that night. . . yeah, that's it. . . and this is in no way meant to direct the investigation away from myself, no sir, and. . . well, I just forgot to mention it. But they were, like, um, totally covered in blood. . . and NOBODY ELSE saw them. . . yeah, that's it. . ."

Good heavens.

On another note, does anybody have any information regarding Chinn's sentencing regarding the CP charges? I can't find anything at all online.

 

[Bradley]

http://blogs.denverpost.com/coldcases/2014/07/18/lakewood/8872/#disqus_thread

 

[Bradley]

Evidently, Chinn is behind bars now:

https://www.doc.state.co.us/oss/

 

[codywadsworth]

I would like some help in solving this horrid murder for my family. He was 10 at the time of his murder and was stabbed over 25 times.
There was two suspects, John Ramsey"Felix"Chinn and Tom Judge, Chinn is still a suspect from what I have gathered and Judge has since passed away from H.I.V.:waitasec:
There is a link I dont know how to post at Denverpost.com blogs cold cases.
Please Help:banghead:

Hi, I am so sorry for your loss. I grew up in the area, my brother and I are the same age as Jakeob and his brother...we were very active in the greenbelt. I remember when it happened like it was yesterday, and I remember the family burning the tree. My parents still live 1/4 mile from the site where Jakeob was found. This case has always been in my heart; I would like to do anything to help solve it. I am wondering if there is any DNA evidence available from Jakeob's body that could possibly link him to the killer(s)? My next question, sorry if it is gruesome, was Jakeob cremated? If not, would the family's permission be required to exhume his body in order to obtain DNA evidence? I believe Chinn is still incarcerated for his 2012 child sex abuse image conviction, if so it would be easy to get DNA from him. It's also possible his DNA is already in the CODIS database.

 

[Bradley]

Hi, I am so sorry for your loss. I grew up in the area, my brother and I are the same age as Jakeob and his brother...we were very active in the greenbelt. I remember when it happened like it was yesterday, and I remember the family burning the tree. My parents still live 1/4 mile from the site where Jakeob was found. This case has always been in my heart; I would like to do anything to help solve it. I am wondering if there is any DNA evidence available from Jakeob's body that could possibly link him to the killer(s)? My next question, sorry if it is gruesome, was Jakeob cremated? If not, would the family's permission be required to exhume his body in order to obtain DNA evidence? I believe Chinn is still incarcerated for his 2012 child sex abuse image conviction, if so it would be easy to get DNA from him. It's also possible his DNA is already in the CODIS database.

Jakeob was cremated.

Chinn is still behind bars as of today, 8/2/18, but he has a parole hearing date coming up this month.

Shortly after Jakeob's murder, Chinn's lawyers threatened to sue the Lakewood Police Department if they continued to pursue the investigation. Some DNA was, in fact, collected from Chinn, but it appears that the Lakewood Police decided to drop the investigation because of the lawyers' threats.

 

[zchick]

Hi, I am so sorry for your loss. I grew up in the area, my brother and I are the same age as Jakeob and his brother...we were very active in the greenbelt. I remember when it happened like it was yesterday, and I remember the family burning the tree. My parents still live 1/4 mile from the site where Jakeob was found. This case has always been in my heart; I would like to do anything to help solve it. I am wondering if there is any DNA evidence available from Jakeob's body that could possibly link him to the killer(s)? My next question, sorry if it is gruesome, was Jakeob cremated? If not, would the family's permission be required to exhume his body in order to obtain DNA evidence? I believe Chinn is still incarcerated for his 2012 child sex abuse image conviction, if so it would be easy to get DNA from him. It's also possible his DNA is already in the CODIS database.

Jakeob was cremated. I believe they collected DNA but I could be wrong, you have to remember it was early 90s and DNA evidence was just being introduced.