Boulder County DA will retry '94 cold case
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Michael Clark walks out of the Boulder County Jail on April 14. Photo: Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images
The Boulder County District Attorney's Office will retry Michael Clark in connection with the 1994 killing of Marty Grisham after a DNA testing scandal led the original conviction to be overturned.
Why it matters: Clark's retrial could serve as a litmus test for other Colorado prosecutors handling cases affected by misconduct allegations against former DNA analyst Yvonne "Missy" Woods.
The latest: On Thursday, Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty told the courts he would be trying Clark for a second time.
- Clark is charged with first-degree murder and faces life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted.
- Prosecutors asked for the trial to start this October, but defense attorneys requested December 2026. The trial was ultimately set for May 2026.
Catch up quick: The Colorado Bureau of Investigation found in 2023 that Woods had tampered with DNA testing, and it identified problems with 1,003 of her cases in the state.
- Woods testified at Clark's trial in 2012 that she had tested DNA found inside a lip balm container discovered at the crime scene the night of the 1994 killing and that the results excluded 99.4% of the population but not Clark.
- Yes, but: When prosecutors sent the lip balm container to an independent lab last year, its results differed from Woods' original analysis, which could call Clark's involvement into question.
Clark's conviction was overturned this April, in large part due to questions about Woods' testimony.
What they're saying: "In light of the charges in this case, we then carefully and thoroughly analyzed all the remaining evidence to determine the right path forward," Dougherty told Axios Boulder on Thursday. "Our request for trial dates is a reflection of that process and our decision of what justice requires."
Flashback: Grisham, 49, was shot to death in the doorway of his Boulder apartment on Nov. 1, 1994.
- There were no witnesses and no weapon was ever found.
- Clark at the time was friends with Grisham's daughter and was identified as a suspect early in the investigation.
- Prosecutors at the time alleged that Clark stole and forged checks and argued he killed Grisham to cover up the fraud.
What's next: Clark, who is free on bond, is set for a motions hearing on Feb. 23, 2026.