In the late summer of 2016, the life of 29-year-old Ashley Noel Ross-Draper was tragically cut short in her Aurora, Colorado, apartment. On September 10, 2016, she was discovered deceased, having sustained multiple gunshot wounds. A female, Ashley was a mother to two children, who were 10 and 2 years old at the time of her death.
In the wake of the discovery of Ashley's body, her husband, James Anthony Draper, then 33, was quickly identified by law enforcement as a person of interest in her murder. The day after his wife was found, James engaged in a violent crime spree that spanned across Aurora and Denver. This included a carjacking and indiscriminate shooting at bystanders, which triggered a high-speed police chase that ultimately led to his capture.
Friends and family of Ashley revealed to investigators that James had a history of being abusive towards her and had previously made threats to end her life. On the same day his wife's body was located, he had reportedly asked a relative to rent a car for him so that he could leave the state. Upon his arrest, authorities discovered a. 45-caliber submachine gun in his possession, which was later determined to be the weapon used in Ashley's homicide.
Following his arrest for the crime spree, James Anthony Draper was held without bond at the Arapahoe County jail. While initially charged with attempted murder and aggravated robbery for the events of his rampage, he was later formally charged with the first-degree murder of his wife, Ashley Ross-Draper. A conviction for this charge would carry a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
