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Coroner still awaiting final Zimmerman autopsy report

Matt Stensland
Lucas M. Johnson
courtesy/ Routt County Sheriff’s Office

— Routt County Coroner Rob Ryg still has not yet received a final autopsy report for Steamboat Springs resident Ed Zimmerman, a suspected murder victim whose body was found March 4.

A preliminary autopsy report showed Zimmerman was brutally killed. His body had “sharp force injuries of the neck,” and he was shot in the face, strangled and had blunt force injuries to the head.

The Routt County Sheriff’s Office believes Lucas Johnson and his wife, Kristen, were responsible for Zimmerman’s death. The couple is still in custody at Routt County Jail.



The sheriff’s office believes Zimmerman was murdered while being robbed of his marijuana.

Very little information has been released about the case.



On Tuesday, the Steamboat Pilot & Today filed a request with Judge Shelley Hill to have affidavits related to the Johnson arrests unsealed. The request will be considered during a hearing on an undetermined date.

The Johnsons were originally scheduled to have separate preliminary hearings at the end of May and beginning of June.

Hill has since decided to hear the cases jointly, and the new three-day hearing is not scheduled to start until Aug. 31.

During a preliminary hearing, police typically testify about the case, and a judge decides if the charges should then be considered by a jury at trial.

The Johnsons have been charged with first-degree murder, second-degree burglary, child abuse, possession with the intent to manufacture or distribute more than 50 pounds of marijuana and theft.

Lucas Johnson also has been charged with first-degree motor vehicle theft, a charge related to the theft of Zimmerman’s car.

To reach Matt Stensland, call 970-871-4247, email mstensland@SteamboatToday.com or follow him on Twitter @SBTStensland


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