A Colorado bail bondsman is currently in jail after allegedly breaking into the home of – and then killing – one of his clients late last week.
Robert Thrash, 29, stands accused of one count of murder in the second degree and one count of burglary in the first degree for the Thursday, Dec. 8, 2022, shooting death of 28-year old Phil Lucero.
According to a press release issued by the Alamosa Police Department, Thrash and “an associate” identified as David Heinstein, 29, made their way into the victim’s residence on the day in question.
Details of what happened inside the house are scarce, but police say a “struggle ensued” at some point. During that altercation, according to police, both Lucero and Heinstein were shot. The victim was transported to a local emergency room where he succumbed to his injuries. Heinstein, according to the APD, was airlifted to “a front range hospital where he underwent surgery and his current condition is stable.”
“Robert Thrash broke into the door and his friend came in through the back,” Shyanne Walden, Lucero’s fiancée, said in comments to Colorado Springs-based CBS affiliate KKTV. “Phil and I were in the garage. I don’t know, it happened really suddenly.”
“Phil was unarmed,” she added. “He had no weapons.”
At the time of his death, police said, Lucero had an active warrant out for his arrest in Alamosa County. That fact may be a major clue into the circumstances leading up to the victim’s fatal shooting.
According to court records reviewed by CBS News, Lucero was arrested in late January of this year by the APD for failure to report to a court hearing – in violation of a bond condition from a 2021 arrest. That same month, Thrash paid $3,500 to get his then-client out of jail.
In July of this year, Lucero reportedly pleaded guilty to those 2021 drug-related charges. His sentencing hearing was scheduled for September 2022. But Lucero never showed for the court appearance to formalize his legal fate, and a warrant was issued for his arrest again.
According to the Colorado Secretary of State, Always Open Bail Bonds was registered as a business in September 2020 by Robert Wade Thrash. An extant Facebook post from the company in October of this year identifies Lucero as a wanted man.
Thrash is currently being detained in the Alamosa County Detention Center on $750,000 cash bond.
“In this case, the judge made a statement publicly on the record that because of the nature of the charges, the defendant presented a significant threat to the community and therefore the bond was appropriate,” Colorado’s Twelfth Judicial District Attorney Anne Kelly told KKTV.
The defendant’s next court date is currently slated for Dec. 30, 2022.
In comments to KKTV, Thrash’s parents said their son had been a bail bondsman for some seven years. They echoed the narrative that a fight began once he and Heinstein were inside Lucero’s house.
“They were wrestling on the ground and Phil got ahold of David’s gun and put it up to David’s head and my son Robert shot him,” Sharon Thrash, the defendant’s mother, told the TV station.
[image via Alamosa Police Department]