In 2017, avid cyclist Tim Watkins was gunned down and buried in a shallow grave off a popular trail in Mount Herman, Colorado. Identifying the shooter has led authorities on a puzzling and frustrating journey for justice in Pike San-Isabel National Forest.
Tim Watkins (Source) Fox 21 News
Tim Watkins Cycling (Source) Dignity Memorial
Mt. Herman Area Map (Source) Google Maps
Pike-San Isabel National Forest (Source) FS USDA
Episode Source Material
- Fox 21 News (Colorado Springs, CO): Deputies investigating Mount Herman Road death as homicide, by Alexa Mae Asperin.
- The Gazette (Colorado Springs, CO): Sheriff: Body found near Mount Herman Road is being investigated as suspicious death, by Chhun Sun.
- KKTV (Colorado Springs, CO): Missing mountain biker victim in homicide investigation, by Dustin Cuzick and Spencer Wlson.
- KKTV (Colorado Springs, CO): Sheriff’s office: ‘No tip is too small’ in Mount Herman Road murder, by Danielle Kreutter.
- Fox 21 News (Colorado Springs, CO): Authorities: Missing cyclist found dead on Mount Herman Road was shot, by Alexa Mae Asperin.
- Fox 21 News (Colorado Springs, CO): Friends of mountain biker shot & killed in Monument honor him with one last ride, by Taylor Bishop.
- The Gazette (Colorado Springs, CO): Palmer Lake’s Tim Watkins remembered for his ‘big heart,’ love of biking as homicide investigation opens, by Ellie Mulder and Hugh Johnson.
- The Gazette (Colorado Springs, CO): Tips about killing of Palmer Lake man pour into El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, by Ellie Mulder.
- The Gazette (Colorado Springs, CO): Slain Palmer Lake cyclist, lost innocence mourned at memorial, by Jakob Rodgers.
- CBS News: Man With Hatchet Threatens People On Trail Where Cyclist Was Killed, by CBS Colorado.
- KKTV (Colorado Springs, CO): Arrest tied to Mount Herman Road threats; murder victim’s friend’s photos led investigators to suspect vehicle, by Jessica Leicht.
- Colorado Springs Gazette (Colorado Springs, CO): Rangers: Keep shooting safe, clean and legal, by Kaitlin Durbin.
- The Gazette (Colorado Springs, CO): Tim Watkins’ last ride: Unresolved murder of Palmer Lake mountain biking icon leaves community deeply unsettled, by Jakob Rodgers and Lance Benzel.
- The Denver Gazette (Denver, CO): Palmer Lake cyclist’s fatal shooting investigation stalled, authorities concede during hearing over releasing autopsy, by Lance Benzel.
- KKTV (Colorado Springs, CO): Authorities return to scene of Palmer Lake mountain biker’s slaying, hunt for more clues, by Lance Benzel and Jakob Rodgers.
- KKTV (Colorado Springs, CO): 1 Year Later: Still no suspect in mountain biker murder, by Catherine Silver.
- Outside Online: Murder on a Mountain Bike, by Devon O’Neil.
- KKTV (Colorado Springs, CO): Authorities in Colorado continue to ask for the public’s help in the murder of Tim Watkins, by KKTV.
- Colorado Cold Case (Podcast): The Watkins File (Season 3, Episodes 1-6).
- El Paso County Sheriff’s Office: Sheriff’s Office Looking for Public’s Assistance in Tim Watkins Homicide.
- KKTV (Colorado Springs, CO): Family wants answers, three years after death of mountain biker near Monument, by Robbie Reynold.
- The Denver Gazette (Denver, CO): 4 years later, Tim Watkins’ family is still hoping for justice, by Evan Ochsner.
- KOAA (Colorado Springs, CO): Widow pleads for answers four years after husband and avid cyclist was murdered on trail, by Colette Bordelon.
- KOAA: Memorial sculpture honors late cyclist.
- IndyStar (Indianapolis, IN): Delphi Murders: What we know and don’t know 5 years after Abby and Libby were killed, by Dwight Adams and Joe Mutascio.
- The Gazette: TIMELINE: Daniel Nations’ major life events, criminal history, by Kaitlin Durbin.
- Fox 50: Wife of person of interest in Delphi murders says Daniel Nations watched news coverage, by Alexis McAdams.
- Arielle’s public Facebook
- The Tribune: Remains Found Near Mt. Herman identified as those of missing hiker Kevin Rudnicki. By Breeanna Jent.
- Kevin Rudnicki Return to Nature Funeral Home Obituary
- Pike and San Isabel National Forests Facts
- Mount Herman Trail Facts