In the quiet mountain town of Nederland, Colorado, a dispute between a tenant and his landlord escalated to a tragic and fatal conclusion. Timothy Crimmins, a 61-year-old Caucasian male, was found deceased on March 16, 2023, at his residence on Ridge Road. His family, concerned after not hearing from him for several days, had requested a welfare check from the Boulder County Sheriff's Office.
Upon their arrival, deputies discovered Crimmins' body outside the home, concealed under a tarp.
The investigation into Crimmins' death quickly uncovered a grim sequence of events. The Boulder County Coroner's Office later confirmed that he had died from a gunshot wound. As the investigation at the scene was unfolding, a deputy noticed a vehicle that had not been there when they initially arrived. Inside this vehicle, law enforcement found the body of 52-year-old Robert Reid, Crimmins' landlord who lived in a separate dwelling on the same property. Reid had died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Further investigation by the Boulder County Sheriff's Office revealed a history of conflict between the two men. There had been numerous calls for service to the residence in the months leading up to the incident, stemming from ongoing disputes over rent payments, a possible eviction, and disagreements about payment for work Crimmins had completed on the property. Evidence gathered by detectives, including ballistics, indicated that Reid had shot and killed Crimmins with a shotgun he owned.
Investigators believe that after killing Crimmins, Reid had intended to dispose of the body and clean the crime scene. A significant quantity of recently purchased cleaning supplies was found in Reid's vehicle, suggesting he had returned to the property to carry out this plan, only to find law enforcement already present. The Boulder County Sheriff's Office and the District Attorney's Office concluded that Reid acted alone in the murder of Timothy Crimmins before taking his own life. The case was officially closed as a murder-suicide, with no further suspects sought in the matter.
