Charges filed against soldier in rape, murder of Springs woman

UPDATE: HOMICIDE AND RAPE OF SPRINGS WOMAN

The case: The body of a 19-year-old Colorado Springs woman was found in the woods off Old Stage Road, west of Colorado Springs, Oct. 13. The woman's throat had been slashed and she had been raped, according to El Paso County Sheriff's investigators.

The victim: Judilianna "Judi" Lawrence allegedly met her attacker on an internet web site.

The suspect: Spc. Robert Marko, 21, is an Iraq War veteran and was assigned to Fort Carson. Marko told an El Paso County sheriff's investigator he had sex with the victim before he slashed her throat and left her to die about three miles up Old Stage Road, according to an arrest affidavit.

What's new: Monday, Senior Deputy District Attorney Debbie Pearson filed first-degree murder and rape charges, along with 17 other felonies, in the Oct. 10 homicide. Lawrence's mother, Aekyong "Kim" Lawrence and father, John Lawrence, were in the courtroom.

What's next: Marko, who is being held without bond at the El Paso County Criminal Justice Center, is due back in court Dec. 1 for a preliminary hearing. Prosecutors will present their evidence to 4th Judicial District Judge Larry Schwartz, who will determine if Marko should stand trial. He could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted of first-degree murder.