In the quiet town of Clifton, Colorado, the life of 31-year-old Heather Anable was tragically cut short on May 13, 2017. A compassionate soul with an open heart and mind, she was known for seeing the best in people and inspiring them to be their best selves. A graduate of Fruita Monument High School and Mesa State College with a degree in Graphic Arts, she later became a massage therapist, using her skills to heal others.
Her life was violently ended by her live-in boyfriend, Aleksandr
Kolpakov. On that fateful day, neighbors grew concerned after encountering Kolpakov, who was naked and acting erratically. He was given clothes and Anable was called to get him. Shortly after she took him back to their shared apartment, neighbors heard a female screaming, 'I can't believe,' followed by the sound of three gunshots.
When Mesa County Sheriff's deputies arrived at the scene, they found Anable deceased on the sidewalk outside their apartment, having been shot multiple times in her neck and torso. Kolpakov, a self-defense instructor, approached the deputies, speaking nonsensically about rats, poison, and a conspiracy. He made a chilling statement to the authorities, saying, 'I had to put my sweet Heather down.' It was later revealed that he had shot her once, injuring her, and then shot her again as she crawled on the ground.
During the investigation and subsequent court proceedings, it emerged that Kolpakov and Anable, who co-hosted a YouTube channel called “The Skeptic Feminist,” had consumed psilocybin mushrooms on the night of the murder. Kolpakov claimed to have become paranoid that Anable was trying to poison him. His defense argued that he was experiencing a 'bad trip,' which caused delusions and hallucinations.
Initially charged with second-degree murder, the charge against Aleksandr Kolpakov was later upgraded to first-degree murder. He eventually pleaded guilty to first-degree assault and manslaughter. For his crimes, he was sentenced to 40 years in prison. An appeal to have his sentence reduced was denied by the Colorado Court of Appeals.
