Donna Yaklich is a Colorado woman convicted of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder for hiring two teenage brothers to shoot her husband, Pueblo narcotics detective Dennis Yaklich, in the driveway of their Avondale home on December 12, 1985. Her defense, that years of domestic abuse drove her to arrange the killing, produced a split verdict and later a landmark Colorado appellate ruling on whether battered woman syndrome can justify a contract murder.
The Killing in Avondale
On the night of December 12, 1985, brothers Charles and Edward “Eddie” Greenwell ambushed Dennis Yaklich with a shotgun as he stepped out of his truck at his home outside Pueblo.1Pueblo Chieftain. Yaklich Denied Parole Charles was 16 years old.2Pueblo Chieftain. Officer’s Killer Out on Parole Dennis Yaklich Jr., the son of Dennis and Donna, turned six the next day.3Pueblo Chieftain. Yaklich’s Release Draws Mixed Reaction
Court proceedings later established that Donna had met with Eddie Greenwell multiple times over eight months and promised the brothers $45,000 for the job.4Denver Post. Yaklich Closer to Parole in Cop Husband’s Slaying in Pueblo Records showed she actually paid them $4,200 in installments.5Justia. People v. Yaklich, 833 P.2d 758 After the murder, Donna cashed in a $250,000 life insurance policy on her husband.
The Marriage and the Abuse Dispute
Dennis Yaklich was a 38-year-old Pueblo Police Department narcotics officer and a competitive bodybuilder who had won titles including Mr. Denver and Mr. Colorado. Testimony and statements from former District Attorney Gus Sandstrom established that Dennis used steroids and had a volatile temper.69News. Investigation Opened Into Death of Murdered Detective’s First Wife Some in the community described him as a “well-known, but contentious police officer,” while his fellow officers defended his reputation.79News. Task Force Concludes Death Was Suspicious
Donna’s attorneys argued that the contract killing was her “only way out” of a violent marriage.8Pueblo Chieftain. Yaklich Released to Halfway House Sandstrom, who prosecuted her, said he never saw evidence she was battered, characterizing the alleged incidents as being “pushed and knocked down some stairs” or having “an empty pop can” thrown at her.9Pueblo Chieftain. Sandstrom Pleased With Court’s Ruling Dennis’s daughter from his first marriage, Vanessa Yaklich, also disputed the abuse claims, stating she never feared her father, never saw bruises on Donna, and was never hit herself.3Pueblo Chieftain. Yaklich’s Release Draws Mixed Reaction
The Trial and Split Verdict
Donna was charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. District Judge Jack Seavy presided; Sandstrom sought the death penalty. The jury of five men and seven women was sequestered for the duration.10Newspaper Archive. Colorado Springs Gazette, January 26, 1988
The prosecution’s theory was financial. Donna arranged her husband’s murder to collect on insurance policies worth $250,000, offering the Greenwells a cut.8Pueblo Chieftain. Yaklich Released to Halfway House To reinforce that motive, prosecutors introduced evidence that as early as 1982 Donna had approached another man, Steve Kimsey, about killing Dennis in exchange for a share of the insurance money. Evidence of an extramarital affair was also admitted.11Pueblo Chieftain. Yaklich Verdict, Sentence Upheld
The defense built its case around battered woman syndrome. Experts Kathy Morall and Lenore Walker testified about how sustained abuse can lead a victim to believe that lethal force is the only escape.10Newspaper Archive. Colorado Springs Gazette, January 26, 1988 In a decision that shaped the outcome, Judge Seavy allowed that defense to go to the jury as a basis for a self-defense instruction on first-degree murder. The jury acquitted Donna of first-degree murder but convicted her of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, a Class 2 felony.11Pueblo Chieftain. Yaklich Verdict, Sentence Upheld The acquittal spared her a mandatory life sentence. She received 40 years, the maximum for conspiracy.129News. Woman Who Hired Hitmen to Kill Her Husband Closer to Parole The jury and a parole officer reportedly asked for leniency, but it was not granted.69News. Investigation Opened Into Death of Murdered Detective’s First Wife
The Appellate Ruling on Battered Woman Syndrome
On November 21, 1991, a three-judge panel of the Colorado Court of Appeals issued People v. Yaklich, 833 P.2d 758. Judges Sandra Rothenberg, Alan Sternberg, and Claus Hume upheld Donna’s conviction and 40-year sentence but sharply criticized the trial court’s decision to allow the battered woman syndrome defense on the murder charge.11Pueblo Chieftain. Yaklich Verdict, Sentence Upheld
The court held that “a self-defense instruction is not available in a contract-for-hire situation, even though the accused presents credible evidence that she is a victim of the battered-woman syndrome.” The panel gave three reasons. No jurisdiction had ever permitted such an instruction in a murder-for-hire case. Colorado’s self-defense statute requires an imminent threat at the time of the killing, which cannot exist when the defendant plans and contracts the murder over months. And the court said it would be “poor public policy” to let the person who initiated the killing escape punishment through self-defense while the hired killers stood convicted of murder.5Justia. People v. Yaklich, 833 P.2d 758
Because the jury had already acquitted Donna of first-degree murder, double jeopardy prevented the state from retrying her on that count despite the appellate court’s disapproval of the instruction that produced the acquittal. The court also rejected the argument that acquitting on murder while convicting on conspiracy to commit that same murder was inconsistent.11Pueblo Chieftain. Yaklich Verdict, Sentence Upheld Sandstrom praised the ruling, calling the battered-wife defense “absolutely inappropriate” in a contract killing.9Pueblo Chieftain. Sandstrom Pleased With Court’s Ruling
The Greenwell Brothers
Both brothers pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and testified against Donna at her trial. Charles received 20 years; Edward received 30.1Pueblo Chieftain. Yaklich Denied Parole Charles served 18 years and was released in November 2003.2Pueblo Chieftain. Officer’s Killer Out on Parole By 2006, he had been charged with two assaults, one allegedly against his wife. Edward served 19 years before being denied early parole in May 2006, with release expected no later than April 2010.13Pueblo Chieftain. Older Greenwell Denied Parole
Questions About Dennis’s First Wife
Dennis Yaklich’s first wife, Barbara, died on February 14, 1977, at the age of 34. The original autopsy, performed by Dr. Neill McGrath, attributed her death to circulatory collapse from diuretic abuse and a potassium deficiency, ruling it natural causes.69News. Investigation Opened Into Death of Murdered Detective’s First Wife
Nearly three decades later, a 9News investigation prompted a reexamination. In 2005, Arapahoe County Coroner Dr. Michael Doberson and Denver County Coroner Dr. Tom Henry independently reviewed the file and rejected the natural-causes finding. The autopsy had documented 2,000 milliliters of blood in Barbara’s abdominal cavity from a lacerated liver. Pueblo County Coroner James Kramer noted that 500 to 1,000 milliliters is typical in a fatal car accident. Dr. Henry said he would call the death “blunt trauma to the abdomen,” and both pathologists concluded the injury could not have been self-inflicted.14Pueblo Chieftain. Probe Will Review Death of Dennis Yaklich’s First Wife
In September 2005, Pueblo County Sheriff Dan Corsentino formed a task force led by Colorado Bureau of Investigation chief investigator Steve Johnson. Five homicide detectives spent about eight months reviewing thousands of pages of documents and conducting interviews. The May 2006 findings called the death “suspicious” and the original autopsy “flawed” but were overall “inconclusive.” Assisting forensic pathologists found the death “most consistent with homicide,” yet the task force did not uncover sufficient evidence to officially reclassify it.15Pueblo Chieftain. Probe Findings Inconclusive in Yaklich Death Dennis was never formally named as a suspect, though Sheriff Corsentino acknowledged he was the focus because he was the only person home when Barbara collapsed.14Pueblo Chieftain. Probe Will Review Death of Dennis Yaklich’s First Wife The task force said it found no motive and no allegations of abuse on the day Barbara died. Johnson said of the original investigation, “We have seen better documented traffic accidents,” though the task force found no evidence of a conspiracy to conceal a crime. Dennis had been dead for two decades by then, so prosecution was impossible in any event.
Halfway House, Parole, and a Divided Family
Donna served her sentence at the Colorado women’s correctional facility in Cañon City. In October 2005, after roughly 20 years, the Arapahoe County Community Corrections board voted 11-6 to transfer her to a halfway house, the Arapahoe County Residential Center, with intensive supervision and an ankle monitor.8Pueblo Chieftain. Yaklich Released to Halfway House The transfer was not parole. A July 2006 parole hearing ended in denial; her attorney, Philip Cherner, said the board “was afraid to do the right thing.”169News. Woman Who Hired Hit Men to Kill Husband Denied Parole At a July 14, 2009 hearing, Pueblo District Attorney Bill Thiebaut offered no opposition, and the case was forwarded to the full board. Cherner said a favorable ruling could mean parole by the fall of 2009.4Denver Post. Yaklich Closer to Parole in Cop Husband’s Slaying in Pueblo
The case fractured Dennis’s family along lines that never closed. Dennis Yaklich Jr., five when his father was killed, grew up to become his mother’s most visible advocate, attending parole hearings and welcoming the 2005 halfway house transfer.3Pueblo Chieftain. Yaklich’s Release Draws Mixed Reaction Vanessa Yaklich, Dennis’s daughter from his marriage to Barbara, testified against Donna’s parole, called the crime “unforgivable,” and disputed the abuse claims.4Denver Post. Yaklich Closer to Parole in Cop Husband’s Slaying in Pueblo Vanessa alleged that two months before the murder, Donna told her and Dennis Jr. that their father was planning a divorce and that she “didn’t want to be left with nothing.” She accused Donna of physically abusing her during childhood but said she did not blame her half-brother for supporting his mother: “I just want to defend my dad and exonerate him, too.”