CLEAR CREEK COUNTY, Colo. — The Clear Creek County District Attorney's Office will retry a former sheriff's deputy involved in the 2022 death of Christian Glass after a jury deadlocked on two charges.
A jury on Friday found Andrew Buen guilty of reckless endangerment but could not reach a verdict for the second-degree murder and official misconduct charges. According to lawyers for the Glass family, 11 of the 12 jurors found Buen guilty of second-degree murder within the first hours of deliberations.
The trial for the second-degree murder and official misconduct charges is set to begin on August 12.
Christian's parents, Sally and Simon Glass, spoke to the press on Friday after learning about the hung jury.
“I wasn't prepared for it. I just kind of thought it would be guilty or not guilty," Sally said. “Some of the jury members looked straight at me. And a couple of the female jury members, they had tears in their eyes."
The jury was composed of 10 women and two men. Two of the jurors are attorneys, including Kristi Englekirk, who served as the jury foreperson.
“It's very rare that we ever actually get to look inside the jury room," Englekirk said of her time as an attorney and jury participant. “I feel very strongly about this case, and I want to see what happens.”
Englekirk attended Buen's hearing on Monday. She said the jury deliberations were incredibly frustrating because one juror refused to change their mind.
"It felt so clear to at least 10 of us, very immediately, that he's guilty on all three counts. And so, it was disappointing to have to hang," Englekirk said. “When you see a hung verdict, a lot of people probably assume maybe there were questions about the evidence, or this was unclear or kind of questions like that. And that's not what it was. It was a lot of people who were very, very certain of what the conviction should be.”
Englekirk could not say for certain if the holdout juror had an agenda.
“I felt sad. I felt angry. I felt frustrated. I felt defeated. I mean, as the foreperson, I felt like it was my job to get us to an ultimate conclusion. And so, the fact that I couldn't do that was disappointing," Englekirk said.
Another juror, Hannah Robinson, said in a statement, "The prosecution proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Andrew Buen murdered Christian Glass. It’s unfortunate that we weren’t able to hold him accountable for his actions because on juror refused to deliberate in good faith. The Glass family deserved better."
Buen's defense team declined to comment on Monday.
In a statement issued Monday, Clear Creek County Sheriff Matthew D. Harris, PhD. said he's made a "commitment to the public, our commissioners, and most importantly, to the Glass family to change our operations here."
Full statement:
“Our community deserves a Sheriff’s Office that reflects our values in this County. The Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office is not perfect. What happened in June 2022 does not define what we are as an organization and who we are as people.
In my short time here, I’ve witnessed the bravery of our patrol staff and the compassion and humane treatment of our inmates. I’ve observed committed administrative staff who help to move our mission forward. I’ve experienced a command staff that cares about our people, their families, and our community.
I’ve also made a commitment to the public, our commissioners, and most importantly, to the Glass family to change our operations here. I remain steadfast in fostering a culture of accountability, transparency, and professionalism to earn the public’s trust. Anything less is unacceptable.”
Crime
Jury convicts former deputy of reckless endangerment in Christian Glass's death
Buen is among several law enforcement officers charged in connection to the shooting of the 22-year-old man.
Law enforcement’s fatal encounter with Glass began after he dialed for roadside assistance, reporting his vehicle had become stuck on an embankment near Silver Plume on the evening of June 11, 2022. Glass, who remained inside his vehicle during the incident, told dispatchers he had two knives, a hammer and a mallet with him inside the car. Attorneys for the Glass family later said the 22-year-old was undergoing a mental health episode.
During the trial, Sally Glass, Christian’s mother, testified her son had suffered from depression.
“Christian had a hard time when we moved to America because he lost his identity,” his mother said. “He found it very hard to fit in – and also his accent, so he had a very hard time.”
Over the course of an hour, officers attempted to get Glass to leave his car and eventually fired bean bag rounds and a Taser, which failed to work. Glass was then shot by Buen several times after he swung a knife out of the back of the car’s window.
An internal affairs investigation requested by then-Clear Creek County Sheriff Rick Albers and conducted by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office was critical of how law enforcement handled the incident, determining that Buen did not act properly and failed to de-escalate the situation.
“By a preponderance of the evidence, Deputy (Andrew) Buen was not within (Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office) policy and procedure when he used deadly physical force,” the report read.
Not only did Glass report he was in possession of the weapons in his initial call for help, but the report found Glass offered to throw the knives out of his vehicle when law enforcement arrived but was told not to do so by the former deputy. He later tossed the knife into the front passenger seat, according to the internal affairs report, which stated it was “never posing an imminent danger to Deputy Buen."
In May 2023, the Glass family reached a historic $19 million settlement with Clear Creek County, the State of Colorado, and the towns of Georgetown and Idaho Springs.
Denver7 | Investigates
Historic $19 million settlement reached in death of Christian Glass
Former Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Deputy Kyle Gould, who authorized deputies to use force to remove Glass, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of ignoring duty to report use of force and failing to intervene.He was sentenced to two years probation, ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and stripped of his ability to work in a law enforcement capacity in the state of Colorado.
As part of Gould’s plea agreement, the additional charges of criminally negligent homicide and reckless endangerment were dropped.
Georgetown Marshall Randy Williams and Officer Timothy Collins were charged with duty to intervene, a misdemeanor, and left their law enforcement positions as part of a separation agreement with Georgetown. Williams also faces a third-degree assault charge.
Idaho Springs Police Officer Brittany Morrow, who was charged with failing to intervene, was scheduled for a disposition hearing in a Clear Creek County courtroom on Tuesday.
State Trooper Ryan Bennie, who was also charged with failure to intervene, was reassigned to an administrative position by the Colorado State Patrol while the case proceeded in the legal system.
