Man Pleads Guilty to Desecrating Colorado Cemetery and Theft of Body Parts

In a case that has brought a disturbing conclusion to a grim series of events, John Belknap, 47, entered a guilty plea to multiple charges related to an egregious violation of peace at the Crown Hill Cemetery last year. As reported by

9News

, Belknap pled guilty on Nov. 6 to abusing a corpse, committing criminal mischief, and carrying a concealed weapon following the theft of body parts from a mausoleum in October 2023.

The unsettling narrative began when deputies were called to the scene on Oct. 1, 2023, finding the quiet resting place desecrated, a private family mausoleum vandalized, and the disturbing reality that someone had disturbed the eternal rest of those within, according to

Denver7

, the crypt and casket was notably damaged, and it was believed that the suspect had entered overnight, and committing the morbid act of prying open the casket, the suspect whom the authorities later identified to be Belknap, absconded with the body parts under the cover of darkness.

In the absence of any apparent connection between Belknap and the deceased, as detailed by

KDVR

, it was DNA evidence at the scene that led to his apprehension. Belknap’s admission to the charges has seen several other charges dismissed as part of the plea agreement he entered into. The nature of his acts, however, has no less stained the tranquility of Crown Hill Cemetery and offended the sensibilities of the community that entrusts it with their dearly departed.

Belknap, who remains in police custody on a $10,000 cash or surety bond, now awaits his sentencing scheduled for Dec. 9, having accepted the weight of restitution for $3,005. The figure compels the question, can the sense of violation, the rupture of sacred ground, indeed, be tabulated in such terms while the community grapples with the reality of what has been unearthed, the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office expects the sentencing to serve as a deterrent to similar heinous crimes.

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