Murder of Paige Birgfeld | |
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![]() Publicity photo of Birgfeld | |
![]() Location of Grand Junction in Mesa County, Colorado | |
Location | Kidnapping: Grand Junction, Colorado, U.S. Body Found: Route 50, Wells Gulch, Delta County, Colorado, U.S. |
Coordinates | 38°48′55″N108°16′44″W / 38.815155°N 108.278890°W |
Date | June 28, 2007 |
Attack type | Murder, kidnapping |
Victim | Paige Birgfeld |
Perpetrator | Lester Jones |
Verdict | Guilty of all charges |
Charges | |
Sentence | Life imprisonment without the possibility of parole |
The murder ofPaige Birgfeld occurred on June 28, 2007, in Grand Junction, Colorado. [1] [2] Birgfeld, a 34-year-old woman, was reported missing by her 8-year-old daughter. On July 1, 2007, Birgfeld's red Ford Focus car was found on fire in a parking lot, without any trace of Birgfeld. The investigation into her disappearance took an unexpected turn when it was discovered that Birgfeld was living a double life as an escort in a secret business called Models Inc., under the alias "Carrie". [1]
Her remains were discovered on March 6, 2012, in the Route 50 area of Wells Gulch in Delta County, [3] [4] approximately 30 miles (48 km) southeast of Grand Junction. [4] Among the remains was duct tape, leading authorities to conclude that Birgfeld had been kidnapped and murdered. [3] Lester Ralph Jones was the prime suspect in Birgfeld's disappearance. [5] Jones was Birgfeld's former client with a history of domestic violence. [5] [6] [7] In November 2014, 63-year-old Jones was charged with kidnapping, first-degree murder, felony murder, and second-degree murder involving the death of Paige Birgfeld. [6] [7] On December 27, 2016, Jones was found guilty on all charges and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. [8] Jones is currently serving his sentence at the Fremont Correctional Facility. [9]
The disappearance and murder of Birgfeld attracted national attention and become subject of extensive media coverage. [10] [11] [12]
Paige Meredith Birgfeld [13] was born on April 27, 1973, in Atlanta, Georgia. [14] At some point she along with her parents moved to Denver, Colorado, where she attended high school. [13] In 1995, Birgfeld married her high school boyfriend, Howard "Ron" Beigler. [15] Birgfeld studied nursing for a period at the University of Florida. [16] They divorced in 1997 because Beigler did not want children and Birgfeld did. Her parents, Suzanne and Frank Birgfeld, described her as "a loving, devoted, and excellent mother". [15] [17]
In 1997, Birgfeld met Rob Dixon, a wealthy businessman whom she married a year later. [18] The couple moved to a big house on Hill Avenue, in Grand Junction, Colorado. [19] [20] Birgfeld and Dixon had three children: Jess, Taft, and Kohl. [21] The two had a complicated and volatile relationship, to the point where Birgfeld called 911 after a dispute in 2004. [8] [18] Birgfeld stated that her husband had threatened that she would "come home and find [their children] all murdered". [21] A year later, Birgfeld accused Dixon of attacking her, leading to him being charged with third-degree assault. [8] [18] In 2006, they divorced, and Dixon moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. [8] [18] Birgfeld kept the house and custody of their three children.
Birgfeld worked different jobs after her second divorce, [22] including her pre-school dance business and sold high-end kitchen supplies for a company called Pampered Chef. [18] [22] At the time of her disappearance, Birgfeld had started reconnecting romantically with her first ex-husband, Howard Beigler. [18]
On June 28, 2007, Birgfeld left her home around 1 p.m. to meet Beigler for a picnic day. [23] They were together until 7 p.m., then they separated and kept in touch via phone call. [23] Beigler was one of the last people to speak to and see Birgfeld alive. [23] Birgfeld never came home.
Later, Birgfeld's 8-year-old daughter, Jess, went to the Mesa County Sheriff's Office to report her mother missing after she did not return home. [1] [2] After Birgfeld's disappearance, her brother, Craig, moved with his family from Seattle, Washington, to Birgfeld's house to help take care of her three kids. [18] Mesa County Sheriff Stan Hilkey was convinced that Birgfeld had not left of her own accord. [18]
On July 1, around 10 p.m., a 911 call reported what was later identified as Birgfeld's red Ford Focus in flames in an empty parking lot two miles from her house. [24] In Birgfeld's car and on Highway 50, police found personal items, checks, and business cards from a company named Models Inc. [25] Police looked through Birgfeld's computer and cell phone and discovered Models Inc. was an escort business, which Birgfeld managed. [25] There were also websites with Birgfeld's photo where she was known as a high-priced escort named Carrie. [1] [26] Birgfeld was leading a secret double life as an escort. [12] According to Birgfeld's parents, she likely did it to financially support her children and provide for their lifestyle. [12] Biegler, Birgfeld's first husband, stated that she had previously worked as a freelance exotic dancer. [12]
The Mesa County Sheriff's Office and the Grand Junction community launched a "massive" search to find Birgfeld. [27] Search parties were dispatched to search the area, and missing person posters were put up for Birgfeld. [27] Many volunteers were involved in the search for Birgfeld, in vehicles, on horseback, and with diving equipment. [27]
Mesa County Sheriff's Office had several suspects, including Birgfeld's ex-husbands, especially Dixon, but both had alibis. [12] At the start of the investigation, authorities focused on Beigler, as he had been with Birgfeld on the day of her disappearance, and they met for a picnic. [18] The sheriffs office also had the names of clients of Models Inc., of which there were more than 60 suspects. [3] In October 2007, [17] Chief Deputy District Attorney Dan Rubenstein's team was able to find the main suspect on the list since that suspect used a track phone.
The suspect was Lester Ralph Jones, then 56, a motorhome mechanic who was married at the time. [3] [28] Jones initially denied knowing Birgfeld, until officers showed him his call logs, where he had contacted Birgfeld and her escort agency before Birgfeld's disappearance. [29] Jones has a previous criminal record, including a five-year prison sentence for first-degree assault and second-degree attempted kidnapping of his ex-wife. [30] [6] Rubenstein said that both he and the police were certain Jones was responsible for Birgfeld's disappearance, but it was difficult to arrest him without her body. [3]
On March 6, 2012, at 12:30 pm, hikers found skeletal remains in the US Highway 50 area of Wells Gulch in Delta County, [4] [31] approximately 30 miles (48 km) southeast of Grand Junction. [4] Police were able to identify the remains as Paige Birgfeld from dental records. [1] [31] Rubenstein said, "There were some very key evidentiary things that we located, specifically there was duct tape that was around her skull and mandible, that indicates that she was kidnapped". [3] Prosecutors and police concluded that Birgfeld had been kidnapped and murdered. [3] However, due to the condition of her body, they were unable to determine the cause of death. [32]
In November 2014, Jones was charged with kidnapping, first-degree murder, felony murder, and second-degree murder involving the death of Paige Birgfeld. [6] [7] [8]
On July 25, 2016, the first trial began. The prosecutors argued that Jones kidnapped and murdered Birgfeld, drove her car down Highway 50, dumped her body in a ravine, and then returned to Grand Junction, where he set her car on fire. [28] Although Jones was initially charged with arson, the charge was later dismissed due to the statute of limitations expiring. [33] [28] In September 2016, the first trial against Jones was declared a mistrial because the jury could not agree on a verdict. [33] [28]
In the second trial, on December 27, 2016, the jury found Jones guilty of all charges and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. [8] [3]
He is currently serving his sentence at the Fremont Correctional Facility in Cañon City, Colorado. [9]