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New Colorado judicial district launches; outgoing DA John Kellner has a parting message

New Colorado judicial district launches; outgoing DA John Kellner has a parting message
New Colorado judicial district launches; outgoing DA John Kellner has a parting message 03:12

Colorado has a new judicial district for the first time in more than 60 years.

The 23rd Judicial District officially launched on Tuesday, and the 18th Judicial District, as we knew it, ceased to exist. The 18th now handles cases out of Arapahoe County alone, while the 23rd manages those in Douglas, Lincoln and Elbert counties.

Outgoing District Attorney John Kellner sat down for an exclusive interview with CBS News Colorado to talk about some of the biggest changes and challenges in what had been the state's biggest judicial district until now.

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John Kellner. CBS

Kellner recalled taking office in 2021 as COVID-19, racial unrest and high crime took a toll on Colorado. He says the pandemic had created a backlog of thousands of cases, and the George Floyd case had created a distrust of law enforcement.

"I had an obligation to try to rebuild those bridges, build trust with our community. So we dug in, and we launched the first-of-its-kind data dashboard. It's become a statewide model. Almost every DA's office in the state is running these data dashboards now. In fact, it's a national model."    

He also held countless town halls, issued a monthly newsletter and created dedicated teams to go after hate crimes and organized crime. His office would send 20 members of one of the nation's most violent street gangs to prison.

Over the last four years, Kellner and his team have tried 1,200 cases -- nearly 80 of them murders and homicides. He says the state's database shows the crime rate in the 18th Judicial District has dropped 30% or more in almost every category.

District Attorney George Brauchler discusses new 23rd Judicial District in Colorado 04:14

Still, threats remain. Kellner says a Venezuelan gang in Aurora is chief among them.

"Rooting those people out who've committed crimes, making sure they all go to prison or are sent back to the country where they came from, I think that's going to be a tremendous challenge for the next district attorney," Kellner said. 

Drug cartels are another challenge. Kellner helped enact a law increasing penalties for fentanyl dealers. He also led the fight to strengthen laws around auto theft, ghost guns and bias-motivated crimes.

But Kellner says there is more to do. "I have sat in courtrooms and had to explain to victims, who lost somebody due to a drunk driver recklessly killing somebody on the road and say it's possible this judge could sentence that person to probation," Kellner said. "They're going to walk out of the courtroom today. That shouldn't be a probation eligible offense in our state."

All victims, he says, deserve justice. "They deserve to have somebody who cares about them as people. 

Somebody who won't give up. Kellner has solved 10 cold case murders, sending individuals like the "Hammer Killer" to prison after he was convicted of bludgeoning an Aurora family to death in 1987.

"That one is one that will just always stick with me," Kellner said. "The brutality of the case, the length of time it took us to solve it -- decades before we were able to bring that killer to justice -- but really the teamwork to make that happen."

Kellner's trial teams have received the state's top award twice. But he says the measure of a good prosecutor isn't wins and losses.

"I think the key to being a good prosecutor is having the judgement to understand that there are some people who deserve to go to jail, and there are other people who need diversion, who need counseling services, who need help with addiction," Kellner said. "Our core values of who we are and what we're trying to do in court has always been just to do right thing, at the right time, for the right reasons. And that's what I've tried to instill in our prosecutors, and that's how I want to be remembered."

Kellner says he will continue to fight for victims in his new job as a personal injury attorney, but left office with a parting message for the people of the original 18th Judicial District. 

"Thank you for allowing me to seek justice in your name. I'm honored to have been able to go into court and say, 'John Kellner for the people." It's the greatest privilege of my life."

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