DENVER — After a trial that lasted nearly a month, a jury on Tuesday returned a guilty verdict against Robert Hawkins on more than a dozen counts — four of which were human trafficking charges.
Out of the four human trafficking counts, one was related to a minor.
Prosecutors with the Denver District Attorney's Office said the verdict was a long time coming and the incidents span from 2018 to 2021.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Lara Mullin was the lead prosecutor of the case, which was first brought to her attention in 2019 when she was chief of the Denver District Attorney's Human Trafficking Unit. She has since moved to a different role in the office.
“I wasn't going to walk away from this case until it was done," said Mullin. “It started out as what seemingly was human trafficking of one adult. And then that adult turned into two adults, which turned into three adults, which turned into four adults. And then we found out about juveniles who were involved, as well as sort of a separate, first-degree assault shooting case that involved the same defendant against the sex buyer.”
Mullin said Hawkins, 44, was tried for three different but interrelated cases, which consisted of seven victims. One of the victims was a man who was assaulted by Hawkins and the other six were women. All of the victims testified in court.
Mullin said the case was centered around sex trafficking.
“It really took a community lift to support all these victims throughout the last several years that this case was pending," said Mullin. “These are the types of cases that happen sort of in the shadows... The fact that we got here, you know, that we got the case to the jury, that we got a verdict, and that we got a verdict that is so favorable, I think we're all just really proud and glad for this to be over.”
Hawkins is scheduled to be sentenced on June 6. Mullin is expecting a historic sentence.
“It's a tremendously significant case. I mean, we could end up with the longest human trafficking sentence in the country's history," said Mullin. “There's a number of factors at play, but we are anticipating a sentence upwards of 400 years.”
The reason behind the long sentencing range is that Hawkins is a habitual offender.
The longest sentence in a human trafficking case is believed to be in Colorado. In 2017, the leader of a Colorado sex trafficking ring received a 472-year prison sentence in the 18th Judicial District.
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Mullin believes this trial served as an educational tool both for the community and future cases.
"It's an awareness tool. We'll certainly take this case and we'll do a lot of training across the country about this case and all of the factors that were at play, and hopefully help to educate the community, but also to sort of support law enforcement when they're building these cases," Mullin explained.
According to Mullin, expert witnesses were called to the stand and explained the dynamics of human trafficking. The goal was to inform the jury about power, control, and how trauma can impact an individual's ability to leave a situation.
“We heard from the jury that those experts were really helpful in teaching them about all of those dynamics and giving them sort of a greater window into what was happening to these victims," said Mullin. "Understanding that they don't need physical chains to keep them there, right, to keep them there psychologically, to keep them there physically and that it is not unusual for traffickers to exert a tremendous amount of control and influence over victims, even when they're states away."
Jenelle Goodrich is the founder and executive director of From Silenced to Saved. She was appointed to Hawkins' case five years ago by victim specialists in the FBI Human Trafficking Task Force. Her role is to support victims throughout the entire criminal justice system.
“In human trafficking, the proper word is trauma bonding. It's like a form of Stockholm syndrome," said Goodrich. “In this case, when they found victims who had substance abuse or maybe didn't have a place to go, or maybe were on the run because they were children and all of these other array of reasons, that doesn't give an excuse to an abuser or a trafficker to exploit them. But that's exactly what he did."
For Goodrich, the guilty verdict in this case validates her work and the survivors who came forward to tell their stories.
“It happens to be Women's History Month. And this case was brought forward by women, investigated by women, advocated by women, and prosecuted by women," Goodrich said. “I am so happy we won. And I'm so happy that they were believed and I'm so happy that we're here.”
A bipartisan bill in Colorado's state legislature wants to enact mandatory minimum sentences for perpetrators of human trafficking while extending the statute of limitations for adult human trafficking survivors.
Senate Bill 24-035 has cleared both the Senate and House of Representatives. It is currently in the Senate awaiting consideration of amendments made while in the House.
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Bipartisan bill seeks minimum mandatory sentences for human trafficking
Denver7 reached out to Hawkins' defense attorney, Scott Reisch, for an interview or statement about the trial. As of the publication of this article, we have not heard back.
Through Goodrich, Denver7 was sent three statements from victims or victim family members about the guilty verdict.
From one of the listed minor victims:
“I've faced a lot of challenges and pain, but there's also been joy in this long journey I’ve endured, so much that I’m almost at a loss of words. I feel today, as I stand before you, speaking through someone else that I can breathe and continue my path to growth. I've learned and changed so much through it all. I’m so grateful for the prosecutors taking these sexual predators off the street so that other young girls aren’t victimized. I can finally say I am free. Free from all of it, my way!”
From one of the listed adult victims:
“I am glad for all the victims, including minors, getting justice due to an inhumane action Mr. Hawkins has done to us, and I’m glad he will be serving the rest of his life behind bars! He took our freedom from us, now he got his taken from him. I am relieved this monster is locked away for good. I’m also glad the man who got shot got justice also!”
From the mother of one of the listed minor victims:
“I am pleased with the verdict. I believe that his day of hurting young females and people in general has come to an end, and now the victims and their families can move on with their lives and take back what always belonged to them, and that's their life, their freedom, and their dignity. And I hope that no one ever has to go through what these girls had to endure. It was a long battle and I am so happy that the verdict is in favor of the victims. I am looking forward to having our lives back.”
If you or someone you know needs help, you are not alone. You can call Colorado’s Human Trafficking Hotline at 866-455-5075 or text 720-999-9724.
