Colorado man with special needs speaks out after being beaten with a stick
It's been nearly a month since Boulder resident Marius Suffian experienced an unthinkable incident while walking home.
"I was enjoying myself," said Marius. "It was a beautiful day to walk home and I was kind of scared, because I had no idea what was going on."
It was on Saturday, Sept. 23, at around 1:30 p.m., police responded to a report that Marius had been beaten with a stick near Junction Place and Goose Creek Path.
"Some guy was crouched down, stopped and he came in front of me and started hitting me. He broke my nose. He broke my tear duct," said Marius. "I was trying to defend myself like this to fight him off, but I couldn't do it."
Eventually, Marius was able to gesture over to drivers and witnesses passing by the incident to help stop the person from attacking him.
"I guess some witnesses tackled the guy and held him down to the ground until police came and took him to jail," he said.
Boulder police arrested 43-year-old Derek Jorda for allegedly beating Marius with a stick, which landed him in the hospital. According to police, Jordan is believed to be part of the unhoused population in Boulder.
"I've got 9 stiches in my eye," said Marius. "The bottom of my eye is still healing up from what he did to me."
Jordan was charged with first-degree assault and first-degree assault of an at-risk adult.
Records show Jordan has an extensive criminal record dating back to when he was 18 including vehicle theft, robbery, possession of controlled substances, property damage and violating parole on multiple occasions. He has also failed to appear in court for previous incidents.
Despite all this, however, Jordan was released on a $5,000 cash bond on Oct. 11.
"I understand that people have scenarios that are tough, but when you have such a long history of violence, felonious records, and when you're allowed to be on the street, it's just mind blowing that he got such a low bond," said Jake Suffian, Marius's brother.
Jake says it's frustrating to see his brother, who has overcome so many obstacles in his life, as someone with muscular dystrophy and cognitive impairment, that he is now faced with overcoming the challenge of feeling safe while his alleged attacker remains out of jail.
"I'm scared because I can't walk anywhere because he's out there somewhere," said Marius.
The Boulder County District Attorney's Office tells CBS Colorado they fought for a much higher bond given how serious this case is, but the court ultimately denied it:
Given the seriousness of the case and the risk to community safety, our prosecutor fought for a high bond in this case. At the initial bond setting, we requested a $75,000 secured bond but the court set a $50,000 secured bond with a $5,000 cash option. The defendant did ask to address bond at the most recent court date. We strongly opposed the defendant's request and the court denied the modification. Our office will continue to fight for the victim and seek justice in this case. If the defendant fails to appear for court, the judge will issue a warrant for the defendant's arrest.
The bond conditions do include requirements for the defendant. They must report to PTS within 24 hours, have no contact with the victim, possess no weapons, and continue mental health treatment and medication.
While grateful to be alive and celebrating his recovery amongst friends and family, Marius remains cautions for himself and others in the community.
"I recommend to stay away from him," said Marius.
"He needs to not only physically heal, but physiologically and mentally heal so he can feel safe," said Jake. "With the number one thing that will make him feel safe is this guy's back in jail."
A preliminary hearing date in this case is set for Nov. 16.
