Questions arise following teen's suicide

A 16-year-old Fountain boy killed himself Wednesday after a school resource officer told him he was suspected of vandalizing two cars, igniting criticism from family and friends over how the investigation was handled.

In a suicide note he left before shooting himself, Aaron A. Edmiston apologized for "what happened Monday night" and said that no matter what, the two other suspects in the vandalism were good kids, said his father, Robert Edmiston.

"He said he didn't want us to hurt from his mistakes," he said.

Friends gathered at Mesa Ridge High School in Fountain on Thursday night to mourn Edmiston, a junior at Mesa Ridge who was involved with the junior ROTC and was recently named prince of his Navy Ball.

His suicide opened questions over whether El Paso County sheriff's deputy Mike Kossman used the same tactics with Edmiston that two other suspects in the vandalism reported to their parents - claiming that Kossman lost his temper and shouted obscenities, demanded their cell phones and told them they should confess.

"He said, ‘Stop playing (expletive) stupid with me and tell me the truth," said Frank Cifaldi, 18, one of the other suspects in the egging of two cars on Monday night. A Volkswagon Jetta, had a window broken out.

"He demanded our phones, he didn't ask for them," said Daniel Schmidt, 18, who said the deputy reported he found an incriminating text message. "He looked at us like, Who do you think you are, when I asked if he had a warrant."

Kossman, a school resource officer at Mesa Ridge, met with the Cifaldi and Schmidt at Cifaldi's house after first stopping to see Edmiston, the El Paso County sheriff's office confirmed. The deputy began investigating the trio earlier that Wednesday after receiving information while on duty at the school that they could be responsible for the vandalism.

Kossman could not be reached for comment. A phone call to Mesa Ridge was referred to a school district spokesman, and El Paso County sheriff's spokeswoman Lt. Lari Sevene said deputies do not discuss ongoing investigations.

Sevene confirmed Kossman made a "brief visit" to Edmiston's house but said he did not question the teen because there was no parent at the home. Under the law, juveniles can't be questioned about crimes unless a parent is present.

The deputy called Robert Edmiston at work during the meeting and arranged to meet the next day.

Sevene said Kossman confiscated Edmiston's cellular phone before leaving. The boy voluntarily complied with the deputy's request to see the phone, she said, and Kossman found incriminating evidence on the phone.

The deputy may have found a text message Edmiston sent earlier that day after learning from a classmate that a deputy planned to pursue serious charges, Cifaldi said: "It said: Eight criminal charges, jail time and being sued. We're effed if we get caught."

Cifaldi, who said Edmiston had never been in trouble before, would have known that felony convictions would endanger a possible future in the military, and that his friends would suffer as well. Cifaldi stood to lose a full-ride scholarship to the University of Oklahoma through the Navy, and Schmidt has already agreed to enlist in the Army.

"I think he was just scared over what would happen to him. There must have been a feeling this would ruin our lives," Cifaldi said.

They said they believe Kossman may have played on those fears. During their meeting with the deputy, Cifaldi said, Kossman told them they had already screwed up their lives - "only he didn't say screw," Cifaldi said.

Robert Edmiston, reeling from grief, said he planned to speak with his son's friends to learn if they saw any warning signs that he could have missed before the suicide - some sign to suggest his son was in distress.

He said there's little mystery surrounding the timing of his son's suicide. The boy's food was still on the table, uneaten, when Robert Edmiston arrived home from work expecting to discuss the phone call from Kossman.

Sevene, who described Kossman as an experienced school resource officer, called Edmiston's death a "terrible tragedy" but that it was unfair to attribute his death to the investigation, without knowing what other distress he may have been under.

Robert Edmiston said that his son's meeting with Kossman "put fear in his eyes" but that he still doesn't know what happened before his son's suicide.

"I've been trying to get answers myself but this officer isn't answering my calls," he said.

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Call Benzel at 636-0366