Authorities are presenting their case against a man accused of murder in a Colorado mountain town, alleging he also seriously injured another woman just days before the incident.

Daniel DeVito, age 46, faces charges of first-degree murder in the death of 32-year-old Jordan Labarre. Although the Colorado Bureau of Investigation announced his arrest earlier this summer, his preliminary hearings took place in court on Monday and Tuesday.

The incident unfolded on the evening of July 7, around 6:20 p.m., when officers from six different agencies, including the Colorado State Patrol and the Blue River Police Department, were dispatched to a residence. They responded to reports of “shots fired” at a location on the 100 block of Aspen Meadows Circle in Blue River, a mountain community roughly 85 miles west of Denver.

Upon arrival, officers “could hear active gunfire coming from inside the home.” They surrounded the property and instructed the individual inside to exit. DeVito complied and was taken into custody, according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Authorities reported that he made several statements.

DeVito allegedly confessed to the officers that he had “killed three people in the house that were Cartel,” as noted in arrest documents obtained by local ABC affiliate KMGH. He also claimed, “the Cartel are after me” and mentioned shooting “two guys in body armor.”

Inside the residence, officers discovered the body of Labarre, who had suffered a gunshot wound to the head. Her death was classified as a homicide. Reports suggest she attempted to barricade herself in the master bedroom to escape DeVito, who broke in and shot her in the room’s corner, according to the Summit Daily.

Authorities said DeVito was charged with “an unrelated offense and lodged at the Summit County Detention Facility.” Two days later, he was charged with Labarre’s murder.

DeVito and Labarre were believed to have been romantically involved at some point.

In the days following the victim’s death, another woman came forward with a harrowing story. She reported being attacked at the same home just days earlier.

On the morning of July 4, after sleeping over at DeVito’s residence, she was suddenly woken up, held prisoner inside of a bathroom in the home, with DeVito “warning her that he would blow her head off if she came out,” court documents state, per KMGH.

She reportedly believed him, knowing there were weapons in the house. DeVito allegedly forced her to answer questions on sheets of paper such as “What’s the meaning behind truth and honor?”

When she was let out of the bathroom, another man was reportedly present at the home. The men are accused of zip-tying her to a swing, with DeVito allegedly using a “switch blade knife” to cut her across her chest and making a footlong wound.

The woman “thought she was going to die,” according to the court records. During a court appearance this week, DeVito was accused of pouring hydrogen peroxide on the woman’s open wound. She eventually got away, and she said she did not initially report the attack because she feared retaliation.

According to Summit Daily, DeVito also faces charges of first-degree assault, menacing with a deadly weapon, false imprisonment, criminal mischief and domestic violence. He is expected to enter a plea on Jan. 20, 2026.