Godfrey trial delayed

Riley Godfrey

AURORA | The trial of a man who police say gunned down a 25-year-old man hiding in a bathroom in an East Colfax Avenue motel room has been delayed.

Riley Godfrey, 28, was scheduled to go on trial Monday morning in Arapahoe County District Court in Centennial, but according to court records, the trial was delayed Thursday after Godfrey’s lawyer withdrew from the case. 

It wasn’t clear from court records why the lawyer withdrew. 

Godfrey is snow scheduled to appear in court March 4, when a new lawyer is expected to make an appearance. A new trial date has not yet been set. 

Godfrey faces multiple charges, including first-degree murder and kidnapping stemming from the Dec. 29, 2009, slaying of Kendrick Williams, 25.

One of Riley’s co-defendants, Darrius Turner, 20, is set to go on trial next month.

A third co-defendant, Marquesa Johnson, 22, pleaded guilty last month to being an accessory to a crime, a Class 4 felony, in exchange for prosecutors dropping 12 other charges against her. As part of the plea, Johnson is required to testify truthfully against Godfrey and Turner.

According to an arrest affidavit filed against Turner, a woman who was staying at the motel with Williams that night told police that Godfrey shot Williams after Godfrey, Turner and Johnson broke into the room.

The woman told police that Williams left to go buy cigarettes that night and when he returned told her three people outside tried to rob him.

Williams grabbed the room’s television remote and went outside to confront the trio, the woman said. One of the suspects later told police Williams “motioned as if he had a gun, but no gun was ever seen.”

Williams fled into the room and the three suspects pounded on the door and windows, shouting threats.

After the suspects broke down the door, Williams fled to the bathroom.

While Williams hid in the bathroom and the suspects tried to break in, Turner shouted: “You want to make like you had a gun? Now I got a real f------ gun. I’m about to kill (you).”

Godfrey told the woman Williams was staying with to take off her clothes so she would be less likely to flee.

The suspects eventually broke the bathroom door down and the woman told police Godfrey grabbed the gun from Turner and shot Williams.

A short time later, police arrived and arrested Godfrey and Johnson near the scene. Police arrested Turner the next day at an Aurora convenience store.

It wasn’t clear from the affidavit exactly what started the dispute that night.

Godfrey told police the three were on Colfax in search of marijuana when they met up with Williams, whom one of them knew, and the group tried to buy drugs together but failed. Williams and Turner then got into an argument that escalated at the motel.

A witness told police Godfrey and Turner were in the area that night selling crack cocaine when they met with Williams.

After their arrests, Godfrey, Johnson and Turner were charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, burglary, conspiracy to commit burglary, kidnapping and conspiracy to commit kidnapping. In addition, all three were also charged with sentencing enhancers accusing them of committing a crime of violence.

According to Colorado Bureau of Investigation records, Godfrey had been arrested several times before in Colorado. The California native has been arrested on charges including burglary, drug possession and weapons charges.