Broomfield resident Emanuel Doll was found not guilty by reason of insanity for the 2017 murder of his 4-year-old nephew, Jace Higgenbotham, in a Broomfield court last week.
Doll, 30, was arrested on April 27, 2017, after police responded to a home in the area of West 136th Avenue and found Higgenbotham with a “massive amount of trauma” and an ax nearby.
Doll was charged with first-degree murder after deliberation and first-degree murder of a child by a person in a position of trust but was initially deemed incompetent to stand trial and committed to the Colorado Mental Health Institute in 2018.
The court ruled he was competent to stand trial in early 2020, and Doll pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in July 2020. His trial was set for October.
In a hearing Friday, Doll acknowledged the charges against him, potential penalties and rights associated with the trial, 17th Judicial District spokesperson Chris Hopper said in a statement.
Both sides agreed to the facts of the case and that it supported a defense of insanity.
Doll was committed to the Colorado Department of Human Services for “an indeterminate period,” Hopper said, and his release depends on a court ruling of applicable criteria.
“A large number of the victim’s family showed up, and the court allowed them to express their grief and disagreement with any resolution that did not result in life in prison,” Hopper said in a statement. “The court supported the resolution as in the best interest of not only the victim’s family, but also the community and Doll as well.”
