A Colorado Politics report by Marissa Ventrelli details how a violent attack in downtown Greeley – and the subsequent release of the accused assailant – has reignited debate over a 2024 Colorado law governing criminal defendants found incompetent to stand trial.
The case involves 21-year-old Debisa Ephraim, who allegedly led a group assault that left a man hospitalized for over a month with a traumatic brain injury. Despite being charged with attempted murder, Ephraim was found incompetent to stand trial, and because the court determined he was unlikely to be restored to competency, his charges were dismissed and he was released under HB24-1034.
Weld County Sheriff Steve Reams criticized the law, saying it “handcuffs law enforcement, prosecutors, and judges for the sake of criminals” and has created a “crisis where very dangerous individuals are being released to the street to reoffend over and over.” The sheriff’s office even posted a video of the attack online, sparking outrage.
State Senator Judy Amabile (D–Denver), who authored HB24-1034, defended the legislation, claiming that jails were already required to release individuals found incompetent and unrestorable, and that her bill merely required courts to dismiss their cases. Yet even Amabile admitted that “some people should not be released back into the streets.”
The victim’s sister called the situation “a senseless act of violence,” describing how her brother had to relearn how to walk and talk, and how her family was “shocked” when the judge said he had to dismiss the case.
The Bullet Point Brief
- Greeley man nearly killed in violent downtown attack.
- Suspect Debisa Ephraim found incompetent, charges dropped, released from jail.
- Release triggered by 2024 law (HB24-1034) mandating dismissal of cases when defendants are found incompetent and unrestorable.
- Weld County Sheriff Steve Reams blasts the law as dangerous and anti-public-safety.
- Bill sponsor Sen. Judy Amabile defends law but concedes “some people should not be released.”
- Victim’s family outraged – calls the outcome “bizarre” and “unfair.”
My Bottom Line
This is what happens when ideology overtakes common sense in policymaking.
HB24-1034 is yet another chapter in Colorado’s long saga of “criminal justice reform” that prioritizes the criminal over the community. A man accused of attempted murder – a brutal assault caught on video – is back on the streets of Greeley, not because he was found innocent, but because of a procedural technicality rooted in misguided compassion.
Let’s be clear: if someone is found incompetent to stand trial for attempted murder, that doesn’t mean they’re harmless. It means they’re dangerous and unstable. The solution should never be to open the jail door and wish them well. The solution should be secure treatment, confinement, and protection of the public. Instead, this law forces judges to dismiss cases and set people free – no conviction, no supervision, no accountability.
Sheriff Reams is right to sound the alarm. This law has effectively “handcuffed” law enforcement and prosecutors who now must stand by as violent offenders walk free. And while Sen. Amabile may insist this law merely “clarifies” existing policy, even she admits the outcome is unacceptable. Translation: Denver’s political class wrote a law that even its own author knows is broken.
For the victim’s family, this isn’t an academic debate about policy nuance. It’s trauma. It’s injustice. Their loved one will live with permanent injuries, while the man accused of causing them walks free because of legislative incompetence masquerading as reform.
If the Colorado General Assembly wants to restore public trust, it must start by undoing the damage it has done – repeal or rewrite HB24-1034. Because right now, Weld County residents are seeing the result of what happens when “restorative justice” turns into restorative chaos.
