UPDATE | The defendant in this case was sentenced on Dec. 20, 2024. Read our updated story here.
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JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — A man accused of stealing body parts from Crown Hill Cemetery in Wheat Ridge last year has pleaded guilty to several of the charges filed against him.
John Wayne Belknap, 47, pleaded guilty in early November to abuse of a corpse, criminal mischief and carrying a concealed weapon, according to court documents. As part of the plea deal, the other charges filed against him were dropped. Those included possession of a weapon by a previous offender, burglary, and desecrating a venerated object (place of worship, burial site).
In late October 2023, investigators arrested Belknap amid an investigation at Crown Hill Cemetery, located at 7777 W. 29th Avenue.
On Oct. 11, 2023, deputies with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office responded to the cemetery and discovered damage to the front of a private mausoleum. The crypt and casket inside were damaged. At the time, investigators said they believed that the suspect had entered the cemetery, pried open the casket and removed body parts overnight. They later identified the suspect at Belknap, and arrested him on multiple charges.
Belknap's sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 9. He stipulated to pay restitution in the amount of $3,005, according to the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
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