Woman killed in dispute about drugs, detectives say

A Colorado Springs woman was shot in the head with a high-powered rifle Sunday in a dispute over drugs, according to El Paso County sheriff's detectives.

An Ellicott school bus driver spotted Jennifer Warren's body early Monday near Schriever Air Force Base east of Colorado Springs.

Marc Thomas Sylvester, 37, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of first-degree murder in Warren's killing and was advised of the charges against him Thursday.

According to the sheriff's arrest affidavit, Warren's boyfriend, Daniel Baird, told detective Jerald Day that Warren, 35, was "a known drug dealer selling methamphetamine." Baird said he last saw her Sunday when the pair went to a barbecue.

Elizabeth Angel, 27, told detectives she asked Sylvester about what happened to Warren on Monday and he told her, "She'll never talk again."

When detectives called Sylvester's cell phone and asked him about Warren, he said he saw her Sunday, but denied knowing anything about her death. He was asked to come to the Sheriff's Office for an interview, while he was put under surveillance.

While it appeared he was driving his white 2005 Chevrolet pickup to the sheriff's office, he made an abrupt turn. He was pulled over and arrested, the affidavit states.

Investigators found a "large caliber rifle" in the truck.

Investigators found tire tracks that matched the truck's tires near Warren's body. They also checked cell phone records and found Sylvester had made a series of calls between 1:45 a.m. and 2:31 a.m. Monday. The cell tower near Schriever Air Force Base handled those calls - just west of where Warren's body was discovered.

Sylvester's alibi also crumbled. He said he passed out drunk on a friend's couch Sunday night and didn't leave until 3 a.m. The friend's roommate denied seeing Sylvester that night and said he slept on the couch.

Confronted with the evidence, Sylvester said: "If you have all that, then you have the right guy."

He denied killing Warren. Her death is the third homicide this year in unincorporated El Paso County.

Sylvester is being held without bond until his next court date Feb. 23, when prosecutors could file charges.

Warren had been convicted of theft and was wanted on a warrant for not appearing in court on a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge.

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Lance Benzel of The Gazette contributed to this report.