Jennifer Marie Folsom has been charged with second-degree attempted murder for allegedly shooting her husband, James Lloyd Box Jr., on Haycamp Mesa outside Dolores in 2018.
Box was then fatally shot by Kevin Wade Folsom, who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in July 2018 and was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Jennifer Folsom, 31, also known as Jennifer Box, allegedly shot her husband with a 9mm handgun between Jan. 1 and Jan. 2, 2018, according to a grand jury indictment and charges filed by the 22nd Judicial District Attorney Will Furse.
A grand jury was convened in May 2019 to review the case and conduct further investigation, and handed down a criminal indictment against Jennifer Folsom in February 2020.
The DA then filed charges including second-degree attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, violent crime using deadly weapon, violent crime causing serious bodily injury, and possession of a gun by a previous offender.
Jennifer Folsom was arrested on July 9 at her residence east of Cortez, said Montezuma County Sheriff Steve Nowlin. She was released on a $150,000 bond and is scheduled for a plea hearing Aug. 6 in District Court in Cortez.
According to case files, Box, Kevin Folsom and Jennifer Folsom drove to Haycamp Mesa east of Dolores to party and use meth in early January.
The couple fought, and Jennifer Folsom allegedly shot Box, according to criminal charges.
Kevin Folsom then picked up the gun and fatally shot Box in the head, according to case files. He told prosecutors he did it “to put him out of his misery.”
When asked why he did not call 911, Kevin Folsom said he did not want to get arrested for the drugs and the shooting, and did not believe Box would survive that long because he’d lost a lot of blood.
According to an arrest affidavit by sheriff’s Detective Tyson Cox, Kevin Folsom left the scene of the slaying, then attempted to make arrangements with a resident to dispose of Box’s body. Kevin Folsom allegedly told Cox that Box had been shot before he shot him.
Box’s clothing had been removed.
Nowlin said a resident contacted him Jan. 3, 2018, about a man who had been fatally shot.
After a three-hour search, deputies found Box’s body on Haycamp Mesa with a bullet wound to his head. They arrested Kevin Folsom that day as he drove on Colorado Highway 145.
Jennifer and Kevin Folsom are cousins.
According to an obituary in The Durango Herald, James Box, 42, grew up on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation and has two children. His Native American name is Buffalo Horse.
“To wake up in the morning and realize my son is gone hurts inside,” said his father, Eddie Box, during Kevin Folsom’s sentencing. “It has been a very hard and difficult time, and we miss our son.”
He recounted how his son enjoyed participating in Native American ceremonies and sang traditional spiritual songs. His mother, Betty Box, said James Box embraced the traditional ways, including participating in sweat lodge ceremonies.
“As parents, we would always melt when he gave us a big bear hug. He is with our ancestors in another world,” she said.
The DA’s Office has the option of convening a grand jury in cases of public importance and for cases that require additional investigation.Grand juries have 12 jurors. They review case files, witness statements and evidence, and can reinterview witnesses and law enforcement. They can subpoena witnesses. A grand jury votes on whether there is evidence for a criminal indictment.
The DA reviews the indictment and decides whether to file formal charges.
In the case against Jennifer Folsom, all the grand jury charges were formally filed, Furse said.
jmimiaga@the-journal.com