Trial recap: Verdict decided in the Silverthorne St. Patrick’s Day sexual assault trial

The trial of Justin Cayce Erwin began Tuesday, July 17, at the Eagle County Justice Center. Erwin, 41, is one of four men accused of sexually assaulting a woman in a Silverthorne apartment after a night out drinking on St. Patrick’s Day in 2016.

Find a digest of the trial coverage below.

Erwin found not guilty on 11 counts in Silverthorne sexual assault trial; mistrial declared for other counts

July 25, 2018

It was a highly emotional and tense day at the Eagle County Justice Center on Wednesday, as the jury finally returned verdicts in the trial of Justin Cayce Erwin, one of four men accused of sexually assaulting a woman in a Silverthorne apartment on St. Patrick’s Day in 2016. After nearly two days of deliberation, the jury found Erwin not guilty on 11 of the 20 counts brought against him.

Judge John McMullen declared a mistrial on the other nine counts after the jury, seemingly deadlocked, informed the court that further deliberations would be fruitless.

Jury yet to reach verdict in the sexual assault trial of Justin Erwin

July 24, 2018

It was a relatively quiet and uneventful day at the Eagle County Justice Center on Tuesday, July 24, as interested parties in the trial of Justin Cayce Erwin waited in vain for a verdict that never came.

Erwin, 42, is one of four men accused of sexually assaulting a woman in a Silverthorne apartment on St. Patrick’s Day in 2016. After a week long trial—which saw testimony from the accuser, her former boyfriend, and a number of expert witnesses and law enforcement officials—the jury finally began deliberation late Monday afternoon.

Jury begins deliberation in Silverthorne sexual assault trial

July 23, 2018

District Attorney Bruce Brown and prosecutor Lisa Hunt, as well as Ashley Petrey for the defense, stepped in front of the jury one final time Monday afternoon, July 23, to provide emotionally charged closing statements, providing a broad range of arguments rooted in everything from hard facts, a culture of sexual assault, stigma, popular culture and more.

Lead detective returns to stand in Erwin trial

July 20, 2018

Jurors, attorneys and a number of interested parties arrived at the Eagle County Justice Center on Friday to hear the final day of testimony in the trial of Justin Cayce Erwin, one of four men accused of sexually assaulting a women at a Silverthorne apartment on St. Patrick’s Day in 2016.

Silverthorne detective Theresa Barger, a digital forensic examiner and a man who interacted with the accuser on the night in question all took the stand before the prosecution and the defense rested, bringing a close to four days of testimony. Erwin declined to testify on his own behalf.

Expert witnesses take the stand in Erwin sexual assault trial

July 19, 2018

Several expert witnesses took the stand at the Eagle County Justice Center on Thursday in the trial of Justin Cayce Erwin, one of four men accused of sexually assaulting a woman in a Silverthorne apartment on St. Patrick’s Day 2016.

Erwin faces his accuser, law enforcement officials, in second day of testimony

July 18, 2018

People packed into a courtroom at the Eagle County Justice Center on Wednesday for the second day of testimony in the trial of Justin Cayce Erwin, one of four men accused of sexually assaulting a woman in a Silverthorne apartment on St. Patrick’s Day in 2016. Wednesday’s testimony brought Erwin face-to-face with his accuser for the first time in the trial, along with two of the police officers that investigated the incident.

Erwin sex assault trial hears testimony from accuser’s boyfriend, bartenders

July 17, 2018

The trial of Justin Cayce Erwin began Tuesday, July 17, at the Eagle County Justice Center, bringing testimony from the accuser’s former boyfriend and two of the bartenders who served them during the night in question.

Trial begins for Justin Erwin, one of four accused in 2016 sexual assault

July 16, 2018

Dozens of Eagle County residents packed into a crowded courtroom at the Eagle County Justice Center on Monday morning to kick off the jury selection process in the long awaited trial of Justin Cayce Erwin.