A Colorado panel said Linda Stanley’s interview was improper but did not justify dismissing murder charges against William Jacobs.
CAÑON CITY, Colo. — A former district attorney’s televised comments no longer stand between William Jacobs and prosecution in the death of 10-month-old Edward Hayes at a Cañon City motel.
The Colorado Court of Appeals has reinstated charges that a Fremont County judge dismissed in 2024 after finding that then-District Attorney Linda Stanley damaged Jacobs’ right to a fair trial. The revived case now moves back toward district court with two issues running side by side: the fatal injuries suffered by Edward and the fallout from a prosecutor who publicly spoke about a pending murder case.
Stanley’s remarks came in an August 2023 interview with KRDO, months after Edward was found unresponsive at a Motel 6. She said Jacobs had “zero investment” in the child and was watching him to pursue a sexual relationship with the baby’s mother, Brook Crawford. She also said she believed the evidence supported the charges. Those comments drew attention because prosecutors are expected to avoid public statements that could taint a pending case. District Court Judge Kaitlin Turner later concluded the comments created a serious risk of prejudice and dismissed the murder and child abuse charges. Stanley was later disbarred and removed from office in November 2024 for ethical violations.
The appeals court did not defend Stanley. Judge Elizabeth L. Harris wrote that the panel did not condone her actions and recognized that her conduct could be seen as outrageous in everyday language. But the court said Colorado law sets a much higher bar for dismissing charges based on government misconduct. The panel emphasized that Jacobs had already been arrested, charged and arraigned before Stanley’s interview. Because her comments did not produce the charges, the court said dismissal was too severe. The judges pointed to other ways courts can handle public comments, including careful jury selection, instructions to jurors and limits on evidence.
The ruling changed the legal posture of a case that had been frozen. Jacobs, who was 21 when Edward died, again faces murder in the first degree involving a victim under 12 years old. He also faces child abuse counts alleging that he knowingly caused death and serious bodily injury. No jury has found him guilty, and he is presumed innocent unless convicted. Public reporting after the appellate ruling said no new hearing date had appeared in the docket at the time. Prosecutors are expected to seek a path forward in Fremont County, where the case began in 2023.
The criminal allegations are rooted in events at the Motel 6 in Cañon City. Court records said Jacobs was staying at the motel when he met Crawford, who worked at the front desk. The two began dating and moved into the same room within days. Edward was later found unresponsive there. Investigators said Jacobs had been watching the baby while Crawford worked and was the last person known to have cared for him. Emergency crews responded, and Edward was taken to a hospital in Colorado Springs. He later died from injuries that reports have described as blunt force head trauma and brain bleeding.
Investigators cited several statements they say Jacobs made after the child was hurt. Records cited in news reports said Jacobs admitted biting Edward on the arm while playing with him and said the baby’s head hit a door frame while Jacobs was trying to make him vomit. Other reporting on the affidavit said Jacobs described Edward hitting his head on a wall and light fixture. KOAA also reported that Jacobs demonstrated how he disciplined the child using an infant-sized doll, comparing the action to how he disciplined his dog. Those statements have not been tested before a trial jury, and their admissibility could become a major question as the case resumes.
The case also drew attention because it shows how a prosecutor’s conduct can affect, but not always end, a criminal prosecution. Stanley’s discipline removed her from the profession, while the appeals court treated the criminal charges as a separate matter. That distinction now shapes the revived case. The court’s message was that public comments may deserve sanctions against a lawyer without automatically freeing a defendant from trial. For Jacobs, the practical result is that the dismissal that once ended the case has been reversed. For the new district attorney’s office, the ruling restores a prosecution but leaves behind a record of publicity that must be managed carefully.
District Attorney Jeff Lindsey, Stanley’s successor, pursued the appeal after taking office. The appellate panel’s decision gives his office the chance to present the case in court, but it also sets up defense arguments about prejudice. Jacobs’ lawyers may ask for a change of venue, expanded questioning of prospective jurors or orders limiting what lawyers can say outside court. Prosecutors may argue that jurors can be screened and instructed to decide the case only on evidence admitted at trial. The judge assigned to the revived case will have to balance those requests before any trial date is set.
Edward’s mother remains part of the larger court history. Colorado Politics reported that Crawford was charged with child abuse and cruelty to animals in a separate case, while other reports said child abuse allegations against her were reduced. She was working when police responded to the motel, according to public accounts. Her relationship with Jacobs, their move into the motel room and her schedule that day may all become evidence. What remains unknown is how much of the state’s case will rely on her testimony, the nurse who reportedly helped with CPR, medical experts and Jacobs’ own statements to police.
The prosecution is no longer dismissed, but the trial path is not yet clear. The next milestone is a new Fremont County court date, where the revived charges and fair trial safeguards can be addressed.
Author note: Last updated June 22, 2026.