Lauren Jensen-Green, 65, became Colorado Springs’ sixth homicide victim of 2026.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Lauren Jensen-Green’s family gave police a photograph showing how they wanted the 65-year-old remembered after her body was found hidden in a motel room and investigators arrested Timothy O’Brien on a first-degree murder charge.
The family’s request offered one of the few public details about Jensen-Green beyond the allegations describing her death. Court records focus mainly on O’Brien’s statements, the bloodstained room and his alleged attempt to escape detection. A July 13 preliminary hearing will determine whether prosecutors have presented probable cause to continue the murder case against him.
Police have not released a detailed account of Jensen-Green’s life, her family relationships or the circumstances that brought her to the motel on South Nevada Avenue. Officials have not said where she lived, whether she was employed or how she spent the days before May 18. Public reports identify her age and state that she met O’Brien on a bus, based on what he allegedly told detectives. That limited record makes the photograph supplied by her family important to the public presentation of the case. It places a recognizable person beside a name that otherwise appears mostly in court allegations and homicide statistics. Family members have not given an extensive public interview or issued a statement about what punishment they believe should follow. They have also not discussed whether Jensen-Green knew O’Brien before the encounter he described. Their stated preference was narrower: They wanted authorities to use an image that reflected how she should be seen and remembered.
Jensen-Green and O’Brien, 60, checked into a motel in the 1700 block of South Nevada Avenue two days before police found her, according to arrest records. O’Brien reportedly said he had met her on public transportation and helped her reach the property. Officials have not released independent evidence confirming that account. No public report has identified who reserved or paid for the room, whether either person had stayed there before or how long they planned to remain. The motel is south of downtown Colorado Springs near Interstate 25, in a busy commercial corridor with lodging properties and other businesses. Surveillance cameras, room records and electronic key data could help establish the pair’s movements, but police have not described such evidence. The publicly known timeline begins with their arrival, continues through alleged drug use and violence in the room, and ends with a report from O’Brien’s roommate that directed officers to Jensen-Green.
O’Brien allegedly told a homicide detective that he and Jensen-Green used methamphetamine during the motel stay. He said she became loud while he was trying to relax. “I was actually just trying to lay there and enjoy my high,” he reportedly said. According to the arrest documents, he described becoming angry when Jensen-Green continued “ranting and raving.” Police say he admitted taking a hammer from his backpack, approaching her while she was lying down and striking her in the head several times. He then allegedly pressed a pillow over her face to “finish it.” The statements describe Jensen-Green largely through O’Brien’s view of the moments before the attack. No surviving witness has publicly described her behavior, and investigators have not released evidence that independently confirms she was yelling or using drugs. An autopsy or toxicology report could address some of those claims, but those records have not been made public.
The allegations do not end with the assault. Investigators say O’Brien moved Jensen-Green’s body into a space between the bed and a nightstand. Arrest records described her as unclothed from the waist down. Police have not alleged publicly that a sexual assault occurred, and O’Brien reportedly denied sexual contact before detectives raised that subject during a hospital visit. The reason for the condition of her clothing remains unknown. Officers found blood on the bedding, floor and walls when they entered the room May 20. Wet rags with apparent blood were in the bathroom, leading detectives to suspect that someone had tried to clean the scene. Authorities have not disclosed laboratory findings from the rags, bedding or other surfaces. They also have not said whether the hammer and pillow were recovered, whether Jensen-Green had defensive wounds or whether evidence showed that she tried to leave the room.
Police say O’Brien took steps to prevent anyone from finding Jensen-Green promptly. The morning after the alleged killing, he reportedly told housekeeping not to enter because she was asleep. Investigators say the statement delayed access to the room. “I didn’t want her discovered until it was time for checkout on the second day,” O’Brien allegedly said during questioning. “I figured it gave me time to get away.” That account may allow prosecutors to argue that he acted with awareness and purpose after her death. It also raises unanswered questions about the final hours before officers arrived. Authorities have not said how long Jensen-Green remained concealed, whether housekeeping returned or whether other guests reported sounds from the room. No motel employee has been publicly identified. Records from the business may show when O’Brien left, whether he returned and whether anyone else opened the room before police entered.
A roommate, not a motel worker, ultimately brought Jensen-Green’s death to police attention. The roommate told officers that O’Brien had admitted killing a woman. According to the records, O’Brien initially offered the roommate a self-defense explanation and said Jensen-Green had come toward him with a knife. Investigators have not announced finding a knife. When O’Brien later spoke with detectives, his account reportedly shifted to anger over Jensen-Green’s yelling and did not describe an immediate threat. The roommate’s name and exact words have not been released. It is also unclear whether the witness knew Jensen-Green or could verify any part of O’Brien’s story beyond the alleged admission. At trial, prosecutors would need to establish what the roommate heard and why the testimony is reliable. Defense attorneys could challenge memory, wording, motive or inconsistencies between early statements and later interviews.
Officers found Jensen-Green at about 11:35 a.m. May 20 after being sent to the motel for an urgent assist. “Upon arrival officers located a deceased female inside a motel room,” the Police Department said. Homicide detectives assumed control because of the scene’s condition. The El Paso County Coroner’s Office later confirmed her identity, and police announced that her death was Colorado Springs’ sixth homicide of the year. The city had recorded 16 homicides by the same point in 2025, officials said. Such comparisons show changes in overall violence but reveal little about the personal circumstances of any one death. In Jensen-Green’s case, investigators have not described a long-standing conflict, domestic relationship or financial dispute. The information released so far suggests a short association that became fatal inside a temporary lodging room.
O’Brien remained away from the motel after the discovery. On May 25, officers noticed a man who resembled him at a Maverik gas station. He initially gave the name “Mark,” police said, before a records check confirmed his identity. Officers arrested him on an unrelated warrant. He had bandages on his fingers and hands and claimed he had scraped them in a fall down an incline. Police have not reported whether those injuries matched the timing or mechanics of the attack. At a hospital, where investigators sought DNA, O’Brien allegedly raised the homicide on his own and denied that sexual contact occurred. Detectives later questioned him about Jensen-Green. Authorities have described the resulting statement as a confession, though its admissibility and accuracy remain matters for the court. O’Brien has not entered a publicly reported guilty plea and has not been convicted.
Prosecutors filed a first-degree murder charge, placing the case among the most serious matters in Colorado’s criminal courts. At the preliminary hearing, the state is expected to summarize evidence supporting the allegation that O’Brien intentionally killed Jensen-Green. The legal standard at that hearing is probable cause, not proof beyond a reasonable doubt. A judge may hear about the motel scene, the roommate’s call, O’Brien’s arrest and the interview. The defense can question witnesses and argue that the evidence does not support the charge as filed. Later proceedings could address whether O’Brien’s alleged statements were voluntary, whether police followed constitutional rules and whether forensic results support the prosecution’s narrative. No trial date had been announced by July 12. O’Brien was reported to be held in the El Paso County jail with bond listed at $50,000.
Court records also show that O’Brien faces kidnapping and aggravated robbery charges in a separate case. Those accusations do not establish that he committed the motel homicide and will proceed under their own facts and rules. A local review found that his publicly available criminal history included a 1992 guilty plea to arson in Denver. The older conviction may have little or no role in the murder case, depending on future rulings. Prosecutors must prove the current charge through evidence linked to Jensen-Green. They also must provide the defense with reports, recordings and material that could weaken the state’s position. Defense lawyers may seek experts to examine the autopsy, toxicology, blood evidence or interrogation. Any jury ultimately selected would be instructed to decide the case only on properly admitted evidence.
Jensen-Green cannot give her own account of the motel stay, the alleged drug use or the events that preceded the attack. The public version therefore comes from an accused man, unnamed witnesses, police summaries and documents prepared to support an arrest. Each source has limits. O’Brien’s account may be challenged as self-serving, impaired or inaccurate. Witness recollections may be incomplete. Arrest affidavits present evidence supporting probable cause rather than every fact known to investigators. Forensic reports may clarify some disputed points but cannot explain every choice or conversation. The July hearing may add detail, though it is unlikely to provide a complete picture. The family photograph remains one of the few pieces of information selected by people who knew Jensen-Green rather than by the criminal investigation.
As the case approaches its next court date, prosecutors are preparing to describe how Jensen-Green died and why they accuse O’Brien. Her family’s photograph continues to provide a separate record of the woman whose life stands behind the first-degree murder charge.
Author note: Last updated July 12, 2026.