Austin Reed Sigg, a 17-year-old interested in mortuary science, confessed to the abduction and murder of 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway. He was also involved in a May attack on a runner. Sigg made his first court appearance on Thursday.
This booking photo provided by the Westminster, Colo., Police Department shows Austin Reed Sigg, 17, who has been arrested in the abduction and killing of a 10-year-old girl and the attempted kidnapping of a runner.
AP Photo/Westminster Police Department
EnlargeProsecutors said Thursday a?Colorado?teenager confessed to killing a 10-year-old girl who lived less than a mile from his home ? a crime that authorities previously said was probably committed by someone known to the small community of Westminster.
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In addition, prosecutor Hal Sargent said 17-year old Austin Reed Sigg acknowledged a separate attack in May on a female runner by a stranger who grabbed her from behind and put a rag that smelled of chemicals over her mouth.
Police have said the two crimes were connected but didn't elaborate. Authorities also said they had DNA evidence to prove their case.
Seven of Jessica Ridgeway's family members sat with their arms around each other as Sigg made his first appearance in a heavily guarded courtroom in Golden. Sigg glanced in their direction just once.
Four of his family members also were in court, and they occasionally sobbed during the hearing.
Sigg, who wore a blue-green jail uniform and had a light goatee, mostly sat with his head bowed. At one point he spoke to the judge, saying in a high-pitched voice, "I don't understand what that ... " before breaking off when one of his attorneys began speaking to him.
When District Judge Ann Gail Meinster asked Sigg if a parent was present, he said yes and looked toward his relatives.
In the audience, Jessica's mother, Sarah Ridgeway, wore a purple ribbon in her hair. Purple was Jessica's favorite color, and purple ribbons and balloons have become a symbol of remembrance for her family and the public.
Sigg is being held without bail on suspicion of?murder?and kidnapping in the death of Jessica, and attempted murder?and attempted kidnapping in the case of the runner. Prosecutors, who have yet to decide whether to prosecute Sigg as an adult, are expected to formally charge him next week.
Jessica disappeared three weeks ago after leaving her home in the Denver suburb to walk to school. She never arrived. Her remains were found on Oct. 10.
Sigg was taken into custody late Tuesday after police received a phone call from his mother Mindy Sigg, who later told The Associated Press in a phone interview that he turned himself in.
"I made the phone call, and he turned himself in. That's all I have to say," she said Wednesday before breaking down in tears and hanging up.
Sigg's father, Rob Sigg, issued a written statement Thursday commending his ex-wife's decision and asking for prayers and support for the Ridgeway family.
"There are no words to express the sorrow that I and my family feel for the pain they are suffering. We are devastated by the knowledge that my son, Austin Sigg, has been arrested and will be charged with the?murder of their beautiful daughter Jessica," he said.
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