PEKIN, Ill. – A former Creve Coeur police officer made her first court appearance on Thursday on murder charges in connection to a fatal shooting earlier this year.
27-year-old Caitlynn Girkin appeared via video from the Tazewell County Jail for the brief hearing. She is charged with three counts of First Degree Murder in connection to the March 10th shooting death of 29-year-old Adolfo Cazares.
A petition to detain Girkin was filed on Thursday, but a hearing about her status was delayed to July 16th. Girkin has a public defender, but told the court she is in the process of hiring a private attorney. In addition, the detention hearing was delayed because her current public defender told the court they needed to go through more than 500 pages of police reports, and at least two interviews.
An affidavit was also filed on Thursday, which revealed the alleged details of what happened the day of the shooting.
Court documents allege that Girkin called 911 just before 2:15 A.M. on March 10th to report that her roommate, Cazares, had shot himself with her personal firearm.
A Creve Coeur police officer observed Girkin performing CPR on him in a hallway near her bedroom. The officer had noticed that Cazares’ sweatpants were partially pulled down, and blood was coming from his nose, mouth, and chest. The officer also noticed a handgun on Girkin’s bed.
Despite efforts, Cazares was pronounced dead at the scene.
Illinois State Police were called in to investigate, with Girkin interviewed later in the day. Girkin reportedly claimed she was lying on her bed when Cazares entered her bedroom with her personal firearm and raised it. Girkin allegedly claimed Cazares was going to shoot himself so she reached for the firearm and had heard a pop. She then asked if Cazares had shot himself and Cazares stated that he had, while claiming his sweatpants had fallen down when he fell to the floor.
Girkin reportedly claimed in further questioning to investigators that Cazares entered her room with her firearm and started pulling down his sweatpants with his left hand, and raised the firearm with his right hand. Girkin claims she grabbed the firearm while Cazares was still holding it and it discharged.
Upon further questioning, Girkin reportedly stated that Cazares entered her room with the firearm and pulled down his sweatpants, followed by a struggle for the firearm. Girkin says she then got possession of the firearm and shot Cazares.
On March 11th, a forensic autopsy ruled Cazares’ cause of death was a gunshot wound to the chest.
On April 23rd, Girkin was re-interviewed by state police investigators, where she claimed that Cazares entered her room with the firearm, pulled down his sweatpants, followed by a struggle for the firearm. Girkin reportedly stated that she gained possession of the weapon, and it fired after she tightened her grip on it.
After further questioning that day, Girkin reportedly stated that Cazares had not brought the firearm into the bedroom, but that it was on her nightstand when Cazares entered the room. She claimed again that Cazares had begun to pull his sweatpants down when he entered the bedroom. Girkin added that Cazares reportedly attempted to touch her leg, when she pulled his hand away and grabbed the firearm. Cazares then reportedly stated “Don’t shoot me” but was shot after he moved towards her.
Girkin reportedly told investigators that she had sent a Snapchat photo to Cazares of her holding a firearm to her head. She then could not recall if she had sent any other Snapchat photos to Cazares.
An investigation that followed revealed that Girkin reportedly sent a Snapchat video to Cazares after the photo, and just prior to Cazares entering her room, where she reportedly placed the firearm in her mouth.
Girkin told investigators that she shot Cazares because she was afraid he would sexually assault her. But Girkin reportedly told investigators on March 10th that she engaged in consensual sexual acts with Cazares in the past, and that on March 10th, he did not make any sexual advances towards her.
Comments