August 6, 2024 |
Photo – Mugshot of Jaymz Jordan Bitner – Courtesy Albany County Sheriff’s Office
A man was arrested in Colorado in connection with the body found at Mirror Lake in the Snowy Range last month.
On July 4th, the Albany County Sheriff’s Office received reports of a dead body found near the shore of Mirror Lake. Later last month, the Albany County Sheriff’s Office identified the victim as 56-year-old James Bitner, from Black Hawk, Colorado.
Over the weekend, the Albany County Sheriff’s Office released a statement saying that Bitner’s son, 19-year-old Jaymz Jordan Bitner, has been arrested for his father’s murder.
Court documents provided to Bigfoot99 by the Gilpin County, Colorado Clerk of Court’s Office state that Albany County Detective Jeffrey McKinney was called to assist in the investigation of a dead body found by Mirror Lake around 9:15pm on July 4th.
The dead man was wrapped in multiple layers of blankets and tarps. Ratchet straps, an electrical cord, and several types of ropes were used to secure the blankets.
Four days later, the Larimer County Coroner’s Office, in Fort Collins, Colorado, listed the cause of dead as a single 9mm gunshot wound to the back of the head. The coroner indicated that the bullet entered from the base of Bitner’s skull and exited just above the dead man’s right eyebrow. Suicide was ruled out as the cause of death.
Using fingerprints taken from the corpse, investigators learned the dead man’s identity: James Eugene Bitner of Black Hawk, Colorado. In his written affidavit, Detective McKinney states that he suspected Bitner was killed in a different location and his body dumped in the Snowy Range.
Colorado’s Gilpin County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Chris Lussier began searching Bitner’s home on July 18th.
In court documents, Deputy Lussier states that cadaver-sniffing dogs discovered a shovel and a box of ammunition on Bitner’s property. A search of Bitner’s vehicle yielded several items matching those used to cover the body.
Deputy Lussier interviewed Bitner’s wife, Lori, and adopted adult son, Jaymz. Bitner’s wife allegedly told law enforcement that her husband had left them in early November of 2023 to “start over with nothing.”
Bitner’s son, Jaymz, reportedly told Deputy Lussier that his father had left in September or October of last year. The investigator noted several inconsistencies in the younger Bitner’s story.
On July 24th, investigators interviewed Bitner’s neighbor, Nicholas Stone, about the case. Stone allegedly told Albany County Sheriff’s Detective McKinney that on the night of November 12, 2023, Bitner had come to his home to drink and smoke marijuana.
The following day, Stone alleges that Bitner’s son, Jaymz, confessed to shooting his father and asked Stone to help him dispose of the corpse.
When Stone asked what happened, the younger Bitner allegedly said that he shot his father during a heated argument. Stone told officers that he denied Bitner’s request to dispose of the body.
Between November of 2023 and January of 2024, the younger Bitner allegedly pawned over $14,000 worth of gold and silver coins belonging to his father.
After speaking to Stone, the Gilpin County Sheriff’s Office charged 19-year-old Jaymz Bitner with first-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence.
On August 1st, Gilpin County District Court prosecutors amended Bitner’s charges to one count of second-degree murder, one count of tampering with a deceased human body, and one count of solicitation to commit tampering with a deceased human body for requesting assistance from Nicholas Stone.
Bitner is being represented by the Colorado State Public Defender’s Office. The defendant is currently being held in the Gilpin County Jail with no bond.
