Four Slayings in Week Put Town on Edge

Four people were killed this week in two unrelated shootings in this quiet mountain hamlet of 50 residents.

The slayings came as a shock to residents who don’t remember a homicide ever occurring in the bedroom ski resort community, which has a few log cabins, antiques stores and a general store.

“We moved here because of the fact that it still has the flavor and slow pace, non-rat-race way of life,” said Dexter King, a horse trainer who moved from Santa Rosa, Calif.

Two people were found dead Wednesday in a mobile home near town, and a third body was found 200 feet from the house. Two victims were identified as Carl Dutcher, 60, and his wife, JoAnna, 58, while the third name wasn’t released. Authorities didn’t say how they died.

A 21-year-old Guffey man was arrested in a second slaying. Park County Sheriff Fred Wegener said Aaron Mandel turned himself in Wednesday immediately after allegedly shooting William Wainer, 43.

Mandel’s attorney, Michael Thynne, said the shooting appeared to be either an act of self-defense or legal under Colorado’s “Make My Day” law, which grants immunity to people who shoot intruders under certain circumstances.

Thynne said Mandel shot Wainer eight times after Wainer entered his home, refused to leave, threatened to kill him and then reached for what Mandel believed to be a gun.

He said the two had had a running feud that began months ago in a traffic dispute. Wainer had threatened Mandel in front of other people, leading Mandel to buy a gun and ask police for advice on defending himself, Thynne said.

“The whole community was afraid of this guy. He threatened Aaron numerous times in public,” said DeAnn Buffington, co-owner of the Guffey General Store.

Mandel was arraigned on a first-degree murder charge in Park County Court on Thursday and released on $250,000 bond.

Wegener, who has lived in the area all his life, said he couldn’t remember the last time there was a murder in Guffey.

Park County’s last homicide was in September. In 1998, Thomas Leask fatally shot the former mayor of Alma. Leask was sentenced to life in prison.

Several of the area’s log cabins are vacation homes for city dwellers. Many of the year-round residents moved to Guffey to enjoy the laid-back lifestyle. Voters elected a cat named Monster as mayor in November, ousting Shanda, a golden retriever.

“I hate to see such a thing happening here,” said Rhoda Fowler, who moved from Oklahoma to be with her ill daughter. “We’re seeing more of it, and we’ll probably see more still.”