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Weld County man who killed a woman with a plunger handle sentenced to life in prison

Jesus Romero; Murder conviction

A Greeley man was sentenced to life in prison for the slaying of his 58-year-old neighbor Edna Woodrum at his apartment in 2018, according to the Weld County District Attorney’s Office. 

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Jesus Romero, 67, was sentenced Thursday morning by Weld County District Court Judge Julie Hoskins after being convicted of first-degree felony homicide, criminally negligent homicide and sexual assault on Wednesday. 

“Her big heart and trust for people is what got her killed,” said Jessica Bridgman, Woodrum’s daughter during the sentencing hearing. “She believed everyone was good, gave everyone a chance, was kind to everyone no matter their race, sex, or what they looked like. All she saw was a person. And, this trust and letting her guard down around this monster, cost her her life.”

Greeley police officers responded to the Birchwood Apartments, a senior living facility, after Romero called 911 and stated Woodrum, his neighbor, was unresponsive and in a “pool of blood” in his unit, according to the release. 

Romero initially told officers Woodrum was in his unit “because she agreed to have sex with him,” according to the release. 

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Upon entering the unit they located Woodrum dead on the ground. They located evidence that indicated a struggle and believed she bled to death due to a 17.5 inch wooden handle from a bathroom plunger, according to the release.

Additionally, a neighbor told investigators they heard an argument and three loud thumps against the wall inside the unit.

Investigators learned that Romero and Woodrum were not in a relationship at the time of the incident and had not socialized in the past.

“After three years of an uphill battle, we were able to finally get justice for the victim and her family,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Anthony Perea. “Though no sentence or outcome in this horrific case will ever bring Ms. Woodrum back, I’m grateful we’re able to finally put this case to rest, and that the family will be able to get some sort of closure in the nightmare they’ve been living the past few years.”

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