Woman moment gets murder charges dropped

William Jacobs, 22, was accused of shaking baby Edward Hayes to death after he was found unresponsive in a motel room in Cañon City, about 40 miles south of Colorado Springs, in May 2023, according to local reports.

An order granting the motion to dismiss was filed Wednesday by Fremont County District Court Judge Kaitlin Turner after the district attorney prosecuting the case gave a shocking interview disparaging the suspect, The Cañon City Daily Record reported.

But the charges were ultimately dropped because of comments 11th Judicial District Attorney Linda Stanley made during an interview with a local news outlet about the case that amounted to “outrageous government conduct,” the judge ruled.

“I'm going to be very blunt here. He [referring to Mr. Jacobs] has zero investment in this child. Zero,” the DA told KRDO in August. “He's watching that baby so he can get laid. That's it. And have a place to sleep.”

“I'm sorry to be that blunt, but honest to God, that's what's going on,” she added.

Stanley also told the reporter in the interview that Jacobs “has a pretty awful past, including fondling his mom … It's not good … It's kinda weird … What kid fondles their mom, right?”

The prosecutor additionally disclosed that he had been previously charged with a s*x crime, had spent time in a juvenile detention center and had a “violent past.”

“This conduct violated Mr. Jacobs' right to due process. As a result, dismissal of the charges is an appropriate remedy,” Turner wrote.