Colorado is reeling after news broke that a man with a staggering 61 arrests on his rap sheet is accused of committing one of the most shocking crimes the state has seen in recent years. James Benavidez, a 50-year-old with a long history of violence and run-ins with the law, now stands charged in connection with the brutal killing of a pregnant mother of six, Keeley Koff.
It’s the kind of crime that forces everyone to ask the hard questions: how does someone who has been in and out of prison for decades, with 31 guilty pleas and nine felonies under his belt, still manage to be walking the streets of Colorado? For many residents, this feels like a tragic example of the system failing a vulnerable woman,” per The Daily Mail.
Benavidez has spent 20 of the last 30 years behind bars, often serving time for violent offenses ranging from assault to kidnapping. Yet time and time again, he walked free, only to allegedly spiral back into crime. Most recently, he was released from prison in June 2024. Just two months later, authorities say, he unleashed chaos in Brighton, CO during a terrifying 12-hour spree that left Keeley dead, police under fire, and a community in shock.
Colorado Career Criminal Accused Of Killing Pregnant Mother
The sequence of events reads like something straight out of a crime drama. Around 2 a.m. on August 28, Keeley was fatally shot and left inside an abandoned pickup truck. Hours later, police say Benavidez was spotted at a gas station, where he allegedly attempted to carjack a man at gunpoint. When that failed, he hopped on a bicycle to escape, only to resurface a short while later stealing a friend’s car.
From there, things only got more dangerous. According to Brighton police, Benavidez led officers on a wild chase through the town, shooting at least five times at patrol cars and even trying to ram into a police motorcycle. Multiple cars were hit with bullets, but miraculously, no officers were injured. Eventually, police fired back, injuring Benavidez before taking him into custody.
The next day, investigators tied the spree back to Keeley’s murder. She had reportedly only known Benavidez for about two weeks, and her family later revealed she was trying to distance herself from him because she believed he was dangerous. Tragically, her instincts were right.
Did The System Fail Keeley?
Now, Benavidez faces a laundry list of charges—23 in total—including first-degree murder, attempted murder, unlawful termination of pregnancy, multiple counts of assault, aggravated robbery attempts, and weapons charges. If convicted of murder, he will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars.
“Will we finally throw away the key now?” one person asked online. “Why is the 3-strike rule looked down on so much?” another chimed in. “Some people can never reenter society. We need more prisons and longer sentences,” suggested a third person.
But for Keeley’s loved ones, no sentence will undo the heartbreak. She wasn’t just a name in a headline, she was a 32-year-old mother with six children, carrying another life inside her, with a family who adored her. Her murder has sparked outrage across Colorado, not only for the brutality of the act but also because many feel it could have been prevented if Benavidez had not been released back into society so quickly.
Nina Franklin 
Hunter Spears 
Kenna Raye 
