A University of Colorado Colorado Springs professor testified Wednesday during the trial for the man accused of killing two people last year in a dorm room that he met with one of the victims the night before his murder. Nicholas Jordan, 25, is accused of shooting and killing Celie Rain Montgomery, 26, of Pueblo and music student Samuel Knopp, 24, of Parker in the early morning hours of Feb. 16, 2024, in a campus dormitory.
Jordan and Knopp were roommates and students at UCCS. Testimony in Jordan's trial began on Tuesday, and continued on Wednesday morning. The second day of trial started off with the testimony of two crime-scene investigators that collected evidence from the autopsies and crime scene.
The longest testimony of the afternoon was given by Jon Forshee, an assistant teaching professor of music at UCCS who worked closely with Knopp. Forshee testified that he met with Knopp the night before the murders to work on a collaboration piece for his upcoming senior recital. During the Feb.
15, 2024, late-night meeting, Forshee said Knopp confided in him "at length" about his issues with Jordan. Forshee described it as being "like a horror story," but Knopps was in high spirits during the meeting. Forshee said he was set to move out of his dorm the following day and "he was looking forward to getting back to his dorm and packing up.
" When cross-examined by the defense, Forshee said Knopp talked about revenge, but his ideas primarily were pranks, not physical violence. Forshee then said he revenge Knopp settled on enacting was to "be the bigger man and walk away." Jordan’s arrest affidavit states that he had made a death threat against Knopp and that campus security and housing staff recorded multiple complaints about Jordan before the shooting.
Several witnesses Wednesday testified to those complaints, including a custodial supervisor and three resident advisers. Laurie Martin worked at UCCS as a custodial supervisor in the housing section and testified about a Jan. 25, 2024, incident that occurred during the university's winter break in Jordan and Knopp's dorm.
She remembers being called in for a flooding situation from an overflowing toilet — describing the scene as "disgusting," adding that the kitchen smelled like rotting food. The three resident advisers called to the stand all spoke to the various reports filed in the months leading up to the shooting. Complaints ranged from marijuana smoke to overall tension between the roommates.
One December marijuana complaint prompted a minor police response. However, Colorado Springs police Officer Steven Paulluke said little could be on on the legal front since it was a housing-policy violation, not a law violation. Jurors Wednesday also heard testimony of several of Knopp's friends, Shawn Duffy, Haden Gillespie and Jon Forshee.
Both Duffy and Gillespie testified Knopp had told them that he had concerns about his roommate, Jordan. Duffy during his testimony stated that Knopp told him during a phone conversation that his roommate had threatened to kill him, and he was looking for advice. Gillespie testified that he visited Knopp in his dorm room and expressed that the dorm room he lived in was "not a pleasant place to be," because of how dirty it was.
Gillespie said when he visited the dorm was full of trash, a toilet had overflown into the common area and dirty dishes were piled in the sink. Knopp's roommate, Giancarlo Argueta Agudelo, testified on Tuesday that it was Jordan's actions that led to the dorm becoming so dirty. Former UCCS Dean of Students Amanda Allee testified on Wednesday, as well, confirming to the jury that Jordan submitted a request to withdraw from the university the day before the shooting, and that his student ID was used to enter the dorm room minutes before the shooting.
On cross-examination, Allee added that Jordan a month earlier had submitted a request to withdraw from his dorm room. Officers with the Colorado Springs Police Department were called in as the final two witnesses scheduled to testify Wednesday. Midway through the day, defense attorney Nick Rogers argued for a mistrial.
Rogers claimed a local media outlet had recorded footage of the livestream of trial, which he claimed was a violation of an order from the chief judge that prohibits anyone from recording audio or video of court proceedings via the livestream. Judge David Shakes denied the motion for a mistrial, stating that in his extended media order he did not state directly that capturing and publishing video of the livestream was prohibited. Jordan's trial will resume on Thursday morning.
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