COLORADO SPRINGS, CO (February 20, 2024) – A University of Colorado – Colorado Springs student has been arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the slayings of his roommate and another young woman in a shocking on-campus double homicide, said officials.
Nicholas Jordan, 25, was apprehended Monday morning without incident after a days-long manhunt for the suspect in the fatal shootings of Samuel Knopp, 24, and Celie Rain Montgomery, 26.
Knopp, a registered UCCS student, and Montgomery, who was not affiliated with the university, were found shot to death in their dorm room last Friday morning.
In an original statement posted Feb. 16 to the CSPD Facebook page, the call came in around 5:59 am about shots fired at the Crestone House.
“We are in the very early stages of piecing together what happened. We are in the process of notifying family members of the deceased individuals. We don’t believe there is an ongoing threat to the community and we are investigating this as an isolated incident,” CSPD said at the time. “This appears to be an isolated incident involving individuals who knew each other,” the Colorado Springs Police Department confirmed, emphasizing that there is no threat to the wider student body or campus community.”
Three days later, CSPD made progress with a suspect in custody.
“On Monday, February 19, 2024, at approximately 7:52 AM, members of the Colorado Springs Police Department’s Motor Vehicle Theft Unit located Nicholas Jordan in a vehicle. At approximately 8:37 AM, the CSPD’s Tactical Enforcement Unit responded and took him into custody without incident in the 4900 block of Cliff Point Circle East in Colorado Springs. A booking photo of Nicholas Jordan will be released when he is processed into the El Paso County Jail” said in a Facebook post.
Knopp was remembered by friends and classmates as a bright light on campus, with fellow student Gibson Marable calling him “probably the best musician on campus.”
“We are in shock as we process this tragic loss of two lives,” university Chancellor Jennifer Sobanet said at a news conference last week. “My heart is broken for the victims.”
Jordan, originally from Detroit, is being held on a $5 million bond after a brief court appearance today. The judge is expected to rule on unsealing the probable cause affidavit at his next hearing on Friday.
