Man arrested for killing teen claims she wanted to die
Joseph Michael Lopez was arrested Friday in connection with the death of Natalie Bollinger
The man in custody of killing a Colorado teenager in December told police that the girl wanted to die and had posted an ad on Craigslist seeking someone to kill her.
The Adams County Sheriff's Office announced on Friday that Joseph Michael Lopez, 22, was arrested for the death of Natalie Bollinger. The 19-year-old's body was found on a dairy farm in Adams County on December 28, nearly 26 hours after she was reported her missing in Broomfield.
An autopsy revealed that she died from a single gunshot to the head and had a 'potentially lethal dose of heroin' in her system at the time of her death.
Shawn Schwartz, 42, was initially a person of interest after a Facebook post by Bollinger accused him of stalking her. Police have since dismissed Schwartz's involvement.
Sheriff Michael McIntosh said in a press conference Friday that Bollinger and Lopez knew each other through social media and had only been friends for a short period of time. McIntosh said their relationship did not appear to be sexual.
According to an affidavit, Lopez told police that the 19-year-old wanted to die and had posted a Craigslist ad seeking someone to kill her
Bollinger had been missing since December 28, when she left home around noon and never returned. Her body was found a day later in a wooded area near a dairy farm about 30 minutes away
Lopez alleged that Bollinger told him she wanted to die because she was having issues with her boyfriend
'We had to go through all of her social media and phone data, and it was there that we found a lot of the people that we interviewed and ultimately brought us to Joseph,' he said. 'As you can imagine, a 19-year-old's social media or phone — there's a lot of data there.'
According to police, Bollinger came to the sheriff's office voluntarily for questioning Thursday night and was arrested after investigators quizzed him on the teen's death.
Lopez has been charged with first-degree murder in the girl's murder and remains jailed at the Adams County Detention Center
An affidavit released Friday evening states that Lopez told detectives that Bollinger had hired him to kill her after he responded to her ad on Craigslist, according to Denver 7.
Lopez alleged that the slain teen had posted an ad under the Women seeking Men section of Craigslist titled 'I want to put a hit on myself'.
The Domino's Pizza worker said he contacted Bollinger pretending to be a hit man and agreed to meet and kill her after a lengthy text conversation. Police said the pair had sent more than 100 text messages to each other the night Bollinger was reported missing.
The affidavit also stated that Bollinger's boyfriend was the one who reported her missing telling police that his Glock 9 mm pistol had been removed from his home.
According to Lopez, he picked up Bollinger from her home on December 28 and she told him that she wanted to be killed 'on her knees ... executed from behind'. He also said they discussed how he would be paid.
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ShareBollinger, Lopez said, brought her own gun.
As the pair allegedly drove around looking for a location for the shooting, Lopez said he tried to talk her out of it but she insisted she wanted to follow through saying she was having issues with her boyfriend.
The affidavit states that Lopez told detectives he changed his mind about killing the teen and dropped her back off at her apartment. After investigators told him his GPS placed him at the site her body was found Lopez admitted he pulled the trigger.
He said before he shot Bollinger they both got down on their knees and prayed. Lopez then said he closed his eyes as he fired a single shot.
The affidavit does not provide evidence that Lopez's claims are true, Denver 7 reports. During the investigation, detectives learned from Bollinger's family and friends that she had a history of suicidal thoughts.
Other people interviewed said the teen was very happy and looking forward to school.
McIntosh said during Friday's news conference that a weapon was found 'around' Lopez but it's too early into the investigation to connect it to Bollinger's death.
Shawn Schwartz was initially said to be a person of interest after Bollinger had posted on Facebook two weeks before her death that he was stalking her. She was granted a restraining order against him in December
Schwartz, 42, denied his involvement going on Facebook to ask people to help search for Bollinger
Adams County sheriff said in news conference that Schwartz was not connected to Bollinger's disappearance and murder
Before Lopez's arrest, Schwartz was said to have been connected to the girl's murder although he posted on Facebook that he was innocent.
His name came up after a Facebook post Bollinger posted two weeks before her death alleged that Schwartz was stalking her and harassing her family.
'He drove across the country to see me … slept behind my work for weeks. When I told him I didn't want to see him anymore, he sent me hundreds of texts and calls,' she posted.
She added that Schwartz would also reach out to her family members and had allegedly threatened to kill himself in front of her. Bollinger was granted a restraining order against Schwartz on December 15, two weeks before she was found dead.
McIntosh, however, said he doesn't believe Schwartz was involved in Bollinger's disappearance or murder.
Lopez was booked on first-degree murder and is being held at the Adams County Detention Center. A bond has not been set.
Police are continuing to investigate Bollinger's death
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