John Caudle

Case record: John Caudle

Parties and victim relationships

John Caudle was the 14-year-old biological son of Joanne Galla (also referred to as Joanne Rinebarger and Joanna Galla Rinebarger) and the stepchild of Tracy Rinebarger. Tracy Rinebarger was his stepfather.

Joanne and Tracy Rinebarger were killed in their rural home near Monte Vista in Rio Grande County, Colorado, in 2009.

Investigation and arrests

The bodies of Joanne and Tracy Rinebarger were found on the day after October 2009 killings. Park County deputies picked Caudle up driving erratically as he passed through Fairplay. He was arrested in Park County more than three hours from his home.

Caudle confessed to the shootings when he was arrested in Park County the day after the killings. He told authorities he had shot his mother in a rage after she berated and grounded him for forgetting to bring her a soda she had asked for, and that he then shot his stepfather.

During an interview videotaped at 2 a.m., Caudle told Park County deputies he had killed his parents after verbal abuse and because they withheld food as punishment.

Caudle was remanded to the Colorado Department of Corrections after sentencing, and he received 540 days of credit for time served in isolation in the Rio Grande County Jail since his arrest.

Timeline

• December 22, 2009 — Caudle was charged as an adult for the October 26, 2009 shooting deaths of his mother and stepfather.
• October 26, 2009 — Caudle killed his mother and stepfather in their rural Rio Grande County home.
• October 27, 2009 — Caudle was in jail on suspicion of killing his mother and stepfather; the bodies were found and Park County deputies picked him up in Park County while he was driving in Tracy’s Chevrolet pickup.
• February 25, 2010 — Caudle’s preliminary hearing took place in Rio Grande District Court; a police interview was replayed in court.
• February 26, 2010 — A preliminary hearing described two competing portrayals of Caudle (a battered child and a calculating killer) in relation to abuse allegations and the shootings.
• March 23, 2011 — Caudle pled guilty to one count of murder in the second degree for the death of Tracy and one count of reckless manslaughter for the death of his mother.
• March 24, 2011 — Caudle accepted a plea deal in open court.
• June 6, 2011 — The court’s gag order in the case was described as dissolving after sentencing.
• June 8, 2011 — District Judge Martin Gonzales sentenced Caudle.

The offence

Caudle admitted killing his mother and stepfather under a plea agreement.

Joanne Rinebarger was shot nine times. Tracy Rinebarger was shot three times in one account, and two in another account; the plea agreement sentencing coverage described Tracy as having been killed with gunfire and framed the death as murder in the second degree. Both Joanne and Tracy were shot with pistols owned by Tracy, including a .22-caliber handgun or pistols.

Caudle described the following sequence in his statements:

• He told authorities he went to his room, obtained a gun, came out, and started shooting at his mother.
• He stated he saw his stepfather’s truck at the end of the driveway and said he was scared because he believed his stepfather would kill him for what he had done.
• Caudle told investigators he went to the laundry room and hid.
• He stated his stepfather found his mother, ran to her screaming, and Caudle shot him.
• He stated his stepfather fell down but appeared to still be breathing, so he shot him again.
• He stated he pulled both victims into their room and shut the door.

In a separate description from the preliminary hearing interview replay, Caudle gave additional details:

• He stated he removed two .22-caliber handguns from the home’s gun safe, loaded them, and stashed them in his room.
• He stated that on October 26 he returned from school and “just looked at” his mother, who railed at him about chores.
• He stated his mother called him names. When Detective Amy Frank asked him “What names?”, Caudle answered: “A-hole. Jackass. Stupid idiot. Donkey. Dumb.”
• He stated he tried to shoot his mother in the head “so she wouldn’t feel anything.”
• He stated his mother screamed and kept screaming.
• He stated that about an hour after killing his mother, his stepfather returned, walked in, saw blood, screamed his wife’s name, and Caudle was hiding in the laundry room.
• He stated he shot his stepfather when he passed the laundry room and that his stepfather was still alive, so he shot him again.
• He stated his stepfather wouldn’t stop, and that he stuffed his stepfather’s nostrils with ear plugs.
• He stated he dragged his stepfather’s body to the back bedroom and laid it alongside his mother’s body.
• He stated he showered, watched movies, played on the computer, and finished laundry that night.
• He stated the next morning he drove his stepfather’s 2008 Chevy Silverado pickup to Monte Vista High School.

Trial and plea proceedings

Caudle was charged as an adult. The case proceedings drew public attention.

The presiding judge was 12th Judicial District Court Judge Martin Gonzales.

Prosecuting attorneys included Dan Edwards of the Attorney General’s Office and Dan McIntyre of the 12th Judicial Districts District Attorney’s Office. The public defenders included Dan Walzl and Amanda Hopkins.

A preliminary hearing took place where the day-long hearing included arguments and testimony. District Judge Martin Gonzales emphasized that the preliminary hearing was not a mini-trial and said he had “no problem” binding Caudle over for trial on nine counts carrying the possibility of life in prison without parole. Gonzales declined to set any bail.

At the plea stage:

• On March 23, 2011, Caudle pled guilty to second-degree murder in the death of his stepfather and reckless manslaughter in the death of his mother.
• The plea agreement included a sentence enhancer and included a third mandatory-sentencing charge involving the use of a deadly weapon causing death in one account.
• At the time of the plea agreement, Caudle could have received a total of 55 years in the Department of Corrections in one account.
• A stipulation in the plea agreement required Caudle to not be eligible to spend any of his jail time in the Youthful Offender System in one account.
• The most serious offence for one part of the plea was described as second-degree murder, and Caudle was described as eligible to begin his sentence in the Colorado Youthful Offender System in another account.
• At the March plea hearing, Caudle made his first and only public statement about the murders.

Verbatim statements by Caudle at the plea: “I am sorry,” he said. I know what I did was wrong.

“I hid in the laundry room,” Caudle said at the March 23 plea hearing. “I shot him. He was still alive so I shot him again. I am sorry. I know what I did was wrong.”

Verbatim statements attributed to Caudle in court about the events: “All the negative feelings that I had repressed my whole life came out,” he said. “I went to my room and got one of the guns. I came out and started shooting at her. “I saw my stepfather’s truck at the end of the driveway. I was scared because I knew that he would kill me for what I had done. “I went to the laundry room and hid. He found my mother and ran to her screaming. I shot him. He fell down, but it looked like he was breathing, so I shot him again. I pulled them into their room and shut the door.”

Verbatim statements attributed to Caudle describing his feelings: “At the time, I felt I had nowhere else to turn,” Caudle said. “I know what I did was wrong, and I am truly sorry.”

“I don’t want to talk, thank you,” she said politely before hanging up. (This quote was attributed to Joanne Rinebarger’s mother and Caudle’s grandmother, Verla Miller.)

Sentencing

On June 8, 2011, District Judge Martin Gonzales sentenced Caudle:

• He received 22 years in prison for the death of his stepfather.
• He received six years for the death of his mother.
• The two sentences were to be served concurrently.
• The concurrent sentences were to be followed by five years of parole.
• Court records said he was remanded to the Colorado Department of Corrections.

Caudle made a public statement at the March hearing and then was sentenced on June 8, 2011.

Verbatim remarks attributed to defense attorney Amanda Hopkins at sentencing: “This is a hard day,” Hopkins said. “It’s with a heavy heart we accept this sentence.” “She said since Caudle was charged as an adult the defense team had to consider his opinions.” “No decision was made lightly or without consideration,” she said. “Maybe this case will teach the community not to turn a blind eye to abused children. It takes a village to raise a child and this case has shown me how true this is.”

Verbatim remarks attributed to defense attorney Dan Walzl: “In my opinion, the system really did fail Caudle in many ways,” Walzl said. “In my opinion, even right up to the end and with all the theatrics, the question was ‘how?’ and it should have been ‘why?”

Verbatim remarks attributed to special deputy district attorney Dan Edwards: “He said the prosecution took into account the fact that Caudle had been abused; otherwise they would not have considered a plea bargain.” “He will not be put in with the general population,” Edwards said. “He will be kept separate.”

Verbatim remarks attributed to Judge Martin Gonzales: “What is there for a judge in my position to say,” Gonzales said to Caudle before handing down the sentence. “You have to take responsibility for your actions while your choices keep those responsible (for abusing you) from ever taking responsibility for their actions. You were failed by your mother and a failed system."

After sentencing, Caudle was whisked away immediately by Rio Grande Sheriff’s Office deputies.

Other proceedings and participants

A request to close the courtroom and a gag order were described:

• District Judge Martin Gonzales agreed to close hearings and issued a gag order on attorneys, court personnel and police from four counties and three towns, restricting discussion of any aspect of the case.
• The gag order also applied to Rio Grande County Coroner Rusty Stroh mayer, who declined to discuss the couple’s cause of death.

Charges described in the proceedings

Before Caudle pled guilty, he was charged as an adult. Charges described in the proceedings included:

• Two counts of first degree murder, class one felonies.
• Assault in the first degree—serious bodily injury with a deadly weapon, a class three felony.
• Second degree aggravated motor vehicle theft, a class six felony.
• Theft, a class two misdemeanor.
• Violent crime causing death, a sentence enhancer.
• Two counts of violent crime using a deadly weapon, a sentence enhancer.

After Caudle pled guilty:

• One count of murder in the second degree for the death of Tracy.
• One count of reckless manslaughter for the death of his mother.
• A sentence enhancer was added, and one count of a crime of violence was included in one account.
• A third mandatory-sentencing charge involving the use of a deadly weapon causing death was described in one account.

Context and statements about abuse

Multiple participants described a history of abuse and neglect attributed to Joanne Rinebarger:

• Caudle described his mother’s behavior as including berating, grounding, and withholding food as punishment.
• Verla Miller described Joanne as “too strict,” “never fair,” “isolated him from other children,” “withheld food from Caudle,” and as “very controlling.”
• An interview referenced a claim that Caudle was whipped with wire and burned with cigarettes.
• Surrogate grandparents Cecile Dinsmore and James Dinsmore said Caudle was mentally and physically abused by his mother, including that she denied food for punishment and too frequently punished.

Verbatim statements attributed to Cecile Dinsmore: “For the nine years I knew John, there was not a mean bone in his body,” said Cecile Dinsmore, who embraced Caudle as one of her own grandchildren during his years in Mountain Home, Ark., in the late 1990s.

“John suffered for almost 15 years with a very abusive mother. Whatever happened was building up. He was a kind, gentle boy. Very intelligent. Very inquisitive. I would welcome him into my home right now.”

“He would get punished for everything he did. She denied him food. He was never rewarded,” she said.

“It was like he couldn’t take it anymore.”

Verbatim statements attributed to James Dinsmore: “They went to Walt Disney World.” “He was happy with us,” said James Dinsmore, noting that almost every weekend for nearly nine years, Caudle would “escape” to their home.

About a year ago, Joanne Rinebarger asked whether the Dinsmores would take Caudle… “She was going to put him on a bus. He was 13 at the time,” James said.

“She called back a while later and said they'd changed their mind.”

Verbatim statements attributed to Kim Dvorchak: “Why the Colorado Attorney General’s Office sees fit to send a death penalty prosecutor (Dan Edwards) to go after a 14 year old abused boy, subject him to prolonged solitary confinement, and then object to a probation officer’s reasoned sentencing recommendation for YOS is a question Coloradoans want answered” said Kim Dvorchak, executive director for Colorado Juvenile Defender Coalition.

“John has already experienced a lifetime of imprisonment through extreme abuse and neglect; he fell through the cracks of the child welfare system and will now tragically land in the general population of an adult prison. This is not justice.”

Verbatim statements attributed to 12th Judicial District Attorney David Mahonee: “This is not a happy occasion,” said 12th Judicial District Attorney David Mahonee. “We thought this through a lot.”

Additional details about the victims

Tracy Rinebarger and Joanne Rinebarger were described in accounts:

• Tracy Rinebarger was 38.
• Joanne (Joanna) Rinebarger was 32 in one account and 34 in another account.
• Joanne was shot nine times.
• Tracy was shot with pistols owned by Tracy.

Additional details about Caudle

Caudle was described in multiple ways in relation to his life and appearance:

• He was 16 at sentencing.
• He was 14 at the time of the killings.
• He weighed 97 pounds when arrested.
• He was a freshman at Monte Vista High School.
• Students described him as smart, sometimes quirky, and noted that he sucked his thumb.
• He was described as having once been in isolation in the Rio Grande County Jail after arrest.
• He was described as having been held in isolation since his arrest.

Surrogate grandparents described Caudle as:

• intelligent and inquisitive.
• kind and gentle.

Family and community attendees

At the plea hearing:

• The Rinebarger family attended and declined to comment.
• Joanne Rinebarger’s mother and Caudle’s grandmother, Verla Miller of Salida, declined to comment by phone, saying: “I don't want to talk, thank you.”

During the preliminary hearing video replay:

• Tracy’s parents, Ron and Patricia Rinebarger, bowed their heads during parts of the video.
• Caudle lowered his head as his defense team consoled him.

Presiding and named officials

Named officials and counsel included:

• District Judge Martin Gonzales.
• Dan Edwards (Attorney General’s Office), and Dan McIntyre (12th Judicial Districts District Attorney’s Office).
• Dan Walzl (public defender) and Amanda Hopkins (public defender).
• Deputy District Attorney Geoffrey Rieman (supported closing hearings).
• Detective Amy Frank with the Park County Sheriff’s Office.
• Rio Grande County Undersheriff Charles Chick.
• Colorado Bureau of Investigation agent Jodi Wright.
• Rio Grande Sheriff’s Office deputies.

Named community representatives included:

• Kim Dvorchak, executive director for Colorado Juvenile Defender Coalition.
• Ruth Acheson, Guardian Ad Litem.

Outcome

Caudle entered guilty pleas to second-degree murder and reckless manslaughter and received concurrent prison sentences of 22 years and six years, respectively, on June 8, 2011, to be followed by five years of parole.