29-year-old arrested after death of 70-year-old outside Thornton bar on Christmas day

A man is in custody related to a Christmas day incident outside a Thornton bar that led to the death of a 70-year-old man.

On Monday, Shane Kaufman, 29, was in Adams County District Court for his return of filing of charges hearing after being extradited. Kaufman is charged with second degree assault (serious bodily injury).  

It all comes nearly four months after a Christmas day incident at Thirsty's Pub in Thornton, when Manuel Osvaldo Jacquez-Machado was punched and kicked in the parking lot. The 70-year-old died a day later at the hospital.  

According to an arrest affidavit, it all started when Jacquez Machado backed his car into the suspect's vehicle. A witness later told police he saw the other driver subsequently get out of the vehicle and hit him, knocking him unconscious, then kick him before leaving the scene, court documents stated.  

While the witness couldn't identify the suspect, he gave a description that included details about his hair and vehicle. Police later used that, along with information from Kaufman's cellphone, which was left at the scene of the incident, to identify him. 

The 29-year-old is from California but was staying in Northglenn at the time, court documents said. A spokesperson for Thornton Police confirmed he was arrested in Los Angeles on March 22nd on a warrant for manslaughter. 

After being extradited to Adams County earlier this month, Kaufman was formally charged with a different charge: 2nd degree assault with serious bodily injury.  

"After a review of the evidence, we determined that a charge of 2nd-degree assault (seriously bodily injury) would be filed in Adams County District Court," a spokesperson for the 17th Judicial District Attorney's Office said via email. "It is the responsibility of the district attorney's office to weigh the evidence against the law and make an official charging decision." 

Jacquez Machado's family declined to speak on camera after Monday's hearing.  

Kaufman will be back in court May 18 for a preliminary hearing.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that thee charge Kaufman now faces is a lesser charge from the charge on the arrest warrant. Both are F4 penalties in the penal code, a spokesperson for the district attorney's office says.