CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

Greeley father accused in son's death pleads not guilty due to mental health problems

Greeley Tribune - 8/8/2017

Aug. 08--A Greeley man accused of killing his 4-month old son in 2015 pleaded not guilty Monday to child abuse resulting in death, claiming he had been mentally unable to intend to harm the child.

It has now been more than two years since Nathan Archuleta, 31, was arrested in connection with the death of Donovan Archuleta. His grandmother, Sandy Archuleta, 52, also was arrested during the investigation, as was the child's mother, Angelica Chavez, 30, who in April was sentenced to eight years in prison after her March trial.

The case has its origins in the late summer of 2015. According to police reports, on July 27, Chavez dropped Donovan off at the Archuletas' home. When she left that day, the baby was fine.

When she returned six days later on Aug. 1, though, Donovan had chemical burns on his face, abscesses to his gums, a torn frenulum, a collection of scabs that looked to have been inflicted by a pair of tweezers and at least four broken ribs. He also had pneumonia, according to affidavits.

Both Archuletas told police Donovan got sick during his stay with them. To lower the child's fever, Sandy Archuleta soaked potato slices in vinegar and placed them on his face. She told officers she believed that's what caused the chemical burns.

Despite the efforts of police and doctors, the baby died at about 2:30 a.m.Aug. 2, 2015.

Recommended Stories For You

Monday's hearing stretched for two hours, ending with Nathan Archuleta entering a plea of not guilty by reason of an impaired mental condition. It means Keith Coleman, Nathan Archuleta's attorney, will have to prove the man was unable to form a guilty frame of mind at the time of his son's death, due to mental illness.

The hearing was complicated by the fact that Archuleta struggled to understand the plea and what it meant, and Coleman stepped out into the hall to talk with him for almost a half hour.

"What's throwing him off is all the language in the definition of insanity," Coleman said. "The court's formal advisement is probably a pretty difficult for many lawyers to understand, let alone someone in our situation."

Archuleta said little during the hearing, even when Weld District Court Judge Julie Hoskins ruled he needed to be re-arrested until he could be evaluated by a psychologist. Coleman fought Hoskins on that ruling, claiming the evaluation would be done faster if Archuleta was out of jail.

"I'm going to basically tell you that we're going down a rabbit hole," Coleman said. "We may end up having this exact same argument six months from now while he's been sitting in jail for six months."

What's next

Nathan Archuleta, who was re-arrested at Monday's hearing and will be held in the Weld County Jail until a psychologist can evaluate him, is next scheduled to appear in court 8:15 a.m.Aug. 28.

___

(c)2017 the Greeley Tribune (Greeley, Colo.)

Visit the Greeley Tribune (Greeley, Colo.) at www.greeleytribune.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.