Two suspects have been arrested and appeared in court Thursday after the death of a man at Veterans Park on Wednesday night, which Cortez police are investigating as a homicide.
According to the Cortez Police Department, officers responded to a welfare check at the park around 8 p.m. after receiving reports of an unresponsive male. Upon arrival, they discovered a man who had suffered “obvious blunt force trauma.” Despite lifesaving efforts, the man was pronounced dead at the scene.
His identity has not been released.
Two other men, identified in court as Bilbert Tsosie and Anthony Hill, were found nearby with similar injuries and were taken to Southwest Memorial Hospital. Assistant District Attorney Justin Pierce told the court Thursday that one of them might not survive.
Police arrested two suspects at the scene, identified as Robert Salt and Nykhona Holiday, on suspicion of first-degree murder and first-degree assault. Both appeared Thursday in the U.S. 22nd Judicial District Court via Webex before Judge William Furse.
The Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation are assisting Cortez police in the investigation.
After a request for Salt to go first to allow Holiday’s mother to arrive, Ryan Day, temporary representation for Salt, waived advisement and requested to address bail.
Sammy Antez, Jr., the deceased victim’s brother, addressed the court before arguments were made by Pierce and Day. Other family members sat in the nearly full courtroom.
Antez shared that he wants justice for his brother.
“As a little brother, we don’t want this guy to get out and hurt another’s loved one,” Antez said. “We don’t have words for what happened.”
Pierce requested that the court issue a bond of $3 million cash only, noting the alleged violence and “extreme indifference” shown by Salt in the case.
Pierce also provided more alleged details into the incident, saying that Holiday had been found by police with blood on her pants and shoes, and that Salt was discovered “covered in blood” and passed out, apparently because of intoxication.
Holiday reportedly told police Salt repeatedly kicked the men in the head and had told her to “prove she was with him” by kicking them as well.
Pierce said the suspects “lacked remorse to such a degree” that they shoplifted alcohol from City Market after the alleged attacks and continued to drink.
Pierce pointed out that Salt had been arrested four times in the past 30 days. Prior convictions include DUI, vehicle theft, child abuse, domestic violence and assault.
Salt is on parole for a felony menacing conviction from 2021.
Day cited Salt’s presumption of innocence and argued that there was not enough proof to impose a $3 million bond. He also provided statistics that claim that inmates who are held in prison pretrial tend to have worse outcomes than those who do not.
“What we are dealing with is allegations,” he said. “The court must set a reasonable bond.”
Furse described the alleged crimes as “egregious and violent” and said conditions of bond would be no contact with the other two victims and the family members of the victims in the case, he must not go to Veterans Park and he must not be in possession of weapons, drugs, marijuana or alcohol.
Noting Salt’s extensive failure to appear in court, Furse said he would oblige the people’s request and set bond at $3 million cash only.
Salt will appear for filing of charges on Friday, Sept. 5, at 11 a.m.
Holiday, 20, was up next and her attorney, Stephen Singer, also waived advisement.
Pierce spoke of the “extreme” and “horrific assault” again, saying Holiday had the same charges as Salt. The only difference he noted was in their criminal history.
Though Holiday’s criminal history was much less extensive than Salt’s, Pierce noted that several assault were still open.
He requested a $1 million cash surety bond with the same conditions that Salt faces.
Singer said that Holiday made “more direct admissions” about what occurred in the park to police and had cooperated with everything the police had asked of her.
Singer added that there was no probable cause for the alleged offenses, saying that Holiday had told him she was “threatened” and “coerced” to participate in the attack. He said Holiday reported other prior threats from Salt, sharing that he had threatened her life and made her switch shoes with him during the assaults. He said she was not a flight risk.
Furse acknowledged that Holiday’s criminal history was less extensive, but noted that her alleged criminal activity had become “alarmingly escalatory” in recent days and months with DUI and assault-type cases.
Holiday’s protection orders on condition of bond mirrored Salt’s.
Furse set Holiday’s bond at $1 million cash surety. Her filing of charges will take place on Friday, Sept. 5 at 11:30 a.m.
