Kaylee Sanders of Cortez, who faces charges in two recent homicides and a charge of attempted murder, was scheduled Tuesday morning in Montezuma County Combined Court to appear for a preliminary hearing on Sept. 1 at 1:30 p.m.
Sanders, 21, was arrested in the early morning on July 28 in the slaying of her brother, Morgan Salgado, in an apartment at 516 S. Madison St. The day before, on July 27, she allegedly killed Lewis Wall, 66, in his rented home at 18661 Hwy 145, after they reportedly collected firewood to sell.
According to the Cortez Police Department, a witness spoke with Detective John Haynes about Wall’s death the morning before Salgado’s slaying. As previously reported, Haynes conducted a “welfare check” on Wall and found his body on the floor of the rented home with a fatal gunshot to his head.
Salgado also died of a gunshot to his head.
Additionally, Sanders has been accused of attempted first-degree murder because she allegedly pointed a handgun at an officer who responded to the south-side apartment where Salgado was killed.
Chief Judge Todd Plewe of the 22nd Judicial District scheduled a preliminary hearing for both homicide and the attempted first-degree murder cases for Sept. 1 at 1:30 p.m.
Because of a conflict of interest with rural District Attorney Christian Hatfield’s law partner Jason Eley, Chief Deputy District Attorneys Melinda Shishim and David Waite of the 21st Judicial District in Grand Junction will prosecute the case.
Hatfield and Eley created Hatfield and Eley Law Firm in Durango together. Before that, they had a larger law firm in Farmington that went by various names as people came and left.
Eley, an assistant DA in the 22nd Judicial District office in Cortez, has announced his candidacy for the DA’s job in the 6th Judicial District in Durango.
Sanders’ defense attorney is Justin Bogan of Durango.
Shishim said prosecutors in Grand Junction were waiting for additional information from Montezuma County about the cases.
