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| In memory of Jocelyn Sandberg, whom I knew not, and haunts me evenso. Archive stories will run for the next week, in observance of the 9th year since her unsolved murder |
CC STUNNED BY KILLING
RADIO STATION MANAGER SLAIN ON CAMPUS
Date: April 27, 2002 Publication: The Gazette Author: Anslee Willett
Jocelyn Sandberg, whose voice was known to thousands of listeners of public radio station KRCC, was found slain Friday on a sidewalk in front of Armstrong Hall at Colorado College.
Sandberg, 41, operations manager for the station, was found lying face down by a college cleaning worker about 4:25 a.m. on a walkway at the southwest corner of Armstrong Hall, yards from Cascade Avenue and Cache La Poudre Street.
An autopsy was done late Friday, but the cause of death wasn't released.
"Most of the trauma was to the front of her body," Colorado Springs police Lt. Skip Arms said.
"At the scene, we couldn't tell if she was beaten, shot or stabbed.
"The trauma indicates some type of blunt object," Arms said. "There could be some cutting involved."
Sandberg was fully clothed. Police said they don't think she was sexually assaulted.
Police were looking at three to four scenarios as to what happened, Arms said, but he declined to elaborate.
Sandberg went out of town Thursday and returned early Friday, police said. Between 2 and 3 a.m., she reportedly got into an altercation at Dale and Tejon streets near her house, a block from Armstrong Hall.
Police found evidence of a struggle where her body was found.
Police were unclear whether Sandberg and her assailant continued their fight along the way or whether the attack resumed at Armstrong Hall.
No suspects were in custody, police said. A description of what Sgt. Ken Fiorillo called "one of the primary suspects" was released.
The suspect was described as a white man in his early 20s to late 30s, from 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 10 inches tall, and weighing from 150 to 160 pounds. He was wearing a long-sleeved light blue shirt and dark jeans and was carrying a small, dark-colored backpack or daypack.
"We don't have any information that says they knew one another," Fiorillo said.
Brian Kay, 35, who lives next door to Sandberg on Dale Street, said he heard four screams about 3:30 a.m. that woke him up. He got up to turn on a light and open a window to listen.
"I figured everything was OK," he said. "I thought people were just screwing around. But then it was dead quiet. I didn't hear any feet run off.
"I feel really bad because I could have probably helped her out. But you wouldn't think of a weird homicide like that in your neighborhood."
Sandberg's body was found a few blocks from KRCC, which is affiliated with the college, at 912 N. Weber St.
Her co-workers were trying to find ways to absorb the news. One called a friend who knew Sandberg. Another left the room to go on the air. One sat at a desk, organizing papers.
"We're still piecing it all together," one woman said.
Sandberg had been affiliated with KRCC for at least 10 years and became operations manager about a year ago, said Todd Wilson, CC's director of college relations.
She took the position shortly after Lyn Akers, 54, died in December 2000 after a battle with cancer, he said.
"She was a great addition to KRCC, especially when they really needed it after the death of Lyn Akers," Wilson said.
Wilson saw Sandberg often and last worked with her Tuesday.
"She was happy all the time," he said. "If someone was sick and couldn't do an air show, she was usually the first one to offer to do it."
Barbara Wilson, the college's human resources director, spent part of the afternoon at KRCC.
"As fully expected, they're quite traumatized," she said. "Jocelyn was scheduled to work at 3 p.m."
She said Sandberg's supervisor described her as "very, very vibrant. She lived life."
The college held a meeting Friday afternoon at Tutt Library for students and faculty to discuss Sandberg's death with President Kathryn Mohrman and police. They were told how to get counseling.
Mohrman said in the nine years she's been with the college, "this is the first we've had a homicide."
Arms said Sandberg's death apparently was not connected to her affiliation with Colorado College.
Friends left flowers, cards, a cigar and an apple where her body was found. They wrote words in black chalk.
"The beauty in your soul was eloquently expressed and will not be forgotten. I LOVE YOU," one person wrote.
Another wrote, "Joc - Thank you for your kindness."
One message began: "May your life have been lived the way your dreams saw fit."
Anyone with information on her death is asked to call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 634-STOP. Callers with information that leads to an arrest may earn a cash reward as high as $1,000.
- Staff writer Jeremy Meyer contributed to this report.
Copyright 2009 The Gazette
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