GREELEY, Colo. — A 29-year-old man was charged with first-degree murder Wednesday in the alleged killing of his girlfriend, 28-year-old Haley Rippetoe, outside her crashed car in Weld County last month.
Justin De Nileon Jr. was arrested in the early morning hours of June 21 outside his parents’ Commerce City home, just hours after he allegedly caused a head-on collision with Rippetoe’s vehicle.
According to an affidavit, Nileon had followed Rippetoe from her workplace to the location where the crash occurred near the intersection of Weld County Road 7 and Weld County Road 6 in Erie.
Erie police responded to a crash around 1 a.m. and discovered Rippetoe dead outside her vehicle. Investigators later determined that the blood evidence at the scene was not consistent with a traffic crash or with someone being ejected from a vehicle, according to a release from the 19th Judicial District.
Additionally, an autopsy found that Rippetoe suffered multiple sharp force injuries to her torso, neck, and head, which were not consistent with a car crash but rather with deliberate violence. Her death was ruled a homicide.
At the crash scene, investigators found signs of intentional damage to the driver’s window and seatbelt of Rippetoe’s car, suggesting someone tried to access the vehicle after the crash.
Investigators concluded that De Nileon intentionally caused the crash and inflicted fatal injuries on Rippetoe, according to the affidavit.
Prosecutors said De Nileon has a long history of violence toward the victim. He was arrested in May for kidnapping, felony menacing, and assault against Rippetoe.