Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Falcon, CO: Former Monument man allegedly killed his girlfriend's children and then himself

A former Monument man is suspected in the stabbing death of two young children in Falcon.

Ethan Courrau, 22, allegedly stabbed his girlfriend's children and is believed to have then turned the weapon on himself.

According to the El Paso County Sheriff's Office a call came in at 11:12 p.m. on Feb. 13 of a reported stabbing. When deputies arrived at a mobile home located on the property of the Remington Ranch Equestrian Stables in Falcon they found 19-month-old Scarlett Gallagher dead and her three-year-old brother Ryan Willhite with serious injuries. Willhite was transported to the hospital where he later died from his injuries. The young boy would have been four-years-old on Feb. 26.

Deputies also found Courrau with injuries and transported him to the hospital where he too died.

El Paso County Sheriff's Office public information officer Lt. Jeff Kramer said all indications lead to Courrau's injuries being self-inflicted but they are still waiting on the autopsy results to confirm that.

Kramer said Courrau was the boyfriend of the victim's mother Katie Cane but was uncertain if Courrau lived at the mobile home. He did say that the 9-1-1 call was made by the grandmother of the victims. It is believed that Cane was not at home at the time of the stabbing and when she arrived home she found her children and Courrau.

Courrau is the son of Beth Courrau, a member of the board of directors for Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District and the former president of the North El Paso County Coalition of Community Organizations.

In a statement to another media outlet the Courrau family said, “We are heartbroken for all of the families impacted by the tragic news that has unfolded.”

The statement goes on to say, “It is impossible to wrap our minds around this. There are so many unanswered questions of which we may never know the answers. We loved our son deeply. Ethan struggled with being bipolar 1, and as his parents we actively helped him seek medical treatment.”

The sheriff's office is still conducting their investigation. An account has been set up at Ent Federal Credit Union to help the family of the young victims. It is under “Memorial Account for Scarlett and Ryan.”

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