Murder of Jessica Ridgeway
Jessica Ridgeway (January 23, 2002 – October 5, 2012) was an American girl who, at the age of 10, was kidnapped in Westminster, Colorado, and murdered by Austin Sigg (born January 17, 1995) on October 5, 2012.[3]
Victim: Jessica Ridgeway | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 23, 2002 Colorado, U.S. |
| Died | October 5, 2012 (aged 10) Westminster, Colorado, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Suffocation caused by strangulation |
Perpetrator: Austin Sigg | |
|---|---|
| Born | Austin Reed Sigg January 17, 1995 Colorado, U.S. |
| Criminal charge(s) | 15; First degree murder (x1), second degree kidnapping (x2), sexual assault of a child, robbery, sexual assault, sexual exploitation of a child (x3), violent crime (x5), attempted second degree kidnapping [1] |
| Criminal penalty | Life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 40 years[2] 82 years in prison (to be served after the life sentence), time at large 23 days |
| Criminal status | Incarcerated, pleaded guilty on all charges |
| Parent |
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Her dismembered body was found five days later. Sigg was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder in November 2013.[4]
Disappearance
Ridgeway was reported missing on the evening of October 3, 2012. She did not come home from school, and an AMBER Alert was issued after she did not return home. Two days later her school backpack, containing her glasses, was found on a sidewalk. On October 7, 2012, her dismembered remains were found in a park in Arvada, Colorado.[4]
Confession to crime
Later in December 2012, a 17-year-old youth named Austin Sigg confessed to killing Ridgeway.[5] Sigg initially confessed to his mother, who called the police. He told police that he kidnapped Ridgeway as she was walking towards where he had parked his Jeep. He then bound her wrists and ankles with rope and took her to his house. There, he forced her to change out of her clothes and into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt before he strangled her with the rope she was tied in, dismembered her body, and hid her limbs and head in a crawl space. Afterward he dumped her torso in the open space of Arvada.[6]
Trial
Under a 2005 Supreme Court decision, Sigg was not eligible for capital punishment because he was not 18 at the time of the crime. In the court case, he was tried as an adult.[3] Sigg was sentenced to life imprisonment on November 19, 2013, and in June 2014, was moved to an undisclosed out-of-state prison to preserve both his and the Ridgeway's family's privacy and safety.[2][7]
References
- Roberts, Michael (October 2, 2013). "Austin Sigg pleads guilty in senseless murder of Jessica Ridgeway". Denver Westword, LLC. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
- Stefen, Jordan (November 19, 2013). "Austin Sigg sentenced to life in kidnap/murder of Jessica Ridgeway". The Denver Post. Digital First Media. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
- Stefen, Jordan (November 30, 2013). "Evidence details twisted path that led Austin Sigg to Jessica Ridgeway". Denver Post. Digital First Media. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
- Chuck, Elizabeth (November 2, 2015). "Teen convicted of killing 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway sentenced to life". NBC News. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
- "Murder Suspect's Father Releases Statement: 'Devastated'". CBS News. December 25, 2012. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
- "Jessica Ridgeway's Killer Tells Police What Led Up To The Crime". CBS Denver. CBS Broadcasting Inc. November 26, 2013. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
- Paul, Jesse (June 22, 2014). "Austin Sigg, who killed Jessica Ridgeway, moved to out-of-state prison". The Denver Post. Retrieved November 1, 2021.