Sexual assault charges filed against Fort Collins murder suspect

Update 1/8/18:Fort Collins City Park homicide suspect pleads guilty to murder

The man charged with the murder of a Fort Collins woman whose body was found in Sheldon Lake at City Park now faces additional charges of kidnapping and sexual assault.

Clad in a red jail jumpsuit reserved for high-risk or maximum security inmates, 27-year-old Jeffrey Etheridge made his first appearance at the Larimer County Justice Center on Friday morning. The 11-minute hearing included a discussion of Etheridge's charges and a squabble over DNA swabs and fingerprints.

Etheridge stood still and looked straight ahead throughout the hearing, looking to the audience only as law enforcement officers shuffled him into and out of the courtroom.

Etheridge faces charges of first-degree murder, second-degree kidnapping and sexual assault, all felonies. Court records reveal the time Etheridge allegedly committed the crimes at 3 a.m. on June 21, about 15 hours before a bystander discovered the body of 23-year-old Heather "Helena" Hoffman floating in the lake.

(Story continues after gallery)

Fort Collins police said Hoffman was last seen leaving work at the Campus West McDonald's, 1250 W. Elizabeth St., about a mile south of the park around 1 a.m. June 21. She was still wearing her work uniform when she was found in the lake.

Police said Hoffman often walked home to her residence near the intersection of Laporte Avenue and Shields Street.

Investigators obtained a warrant for Etheridge's arrest June 28 after they discovered unspecified evidence they said links him to Hoffman's death.

Etheridge, who is a self-described transient, is a registered sex offender in Kentucky and Florida and has a criminal history in Kentucky, records show. He is being held at the Larimer County Jail without bond. His arrest affidavit remains sealed.

Etheridge is next due in court at 9 a.m. Aug. 14 for a possible disposition. 

PREVIOUS: 

Murder suspect swam with group hours after Hoffmann's death

No bond for man arrested in City Park lake death

Friends, family gather to remember slain Fort Collins woman