The following is a guest commentary submitted by Matt Karzen, District Attorney for the 14th Judicial District of Colorado.

Over the past year questions have been raised in some media outlets and social media about how the 14^th Judicial District Attorney’s Office handles sexual assault cases. Much of this narrative paints an inaccurate and incomplete picture.

I am committed to transparency, and I believe it is important to provide the community with the information I am permitted to provide, so community members understand the process by which prosecutors decide to file criminal charges.

First, the American criminal justice system is designed to make criminal prosecution difficult. The burden of proof, beyond a reasonable doubt, is the highest of any justice system in the world. The constitutional protections given to an accused are substantial by design.

Put another way, the system is not a level playing field. It tilts against the government to ensure the integrity of a conviction. Reasonable people can debate whether that balance is appropriate, but what is not in dispute is that it is the law this office, the courts, and juries are bound to apply in every case, equally.

This legal reality means that even when a victim comes forward, tells law enforcement what happened, and is willing to see the case through to trial, there are still times that is not enough.

To file charges, prosecutors operate under stringent ethical requirements — evidence of a crime is not enough, we need to reasonably and objectively conclude the admissible evidence can secure a conviction.

Applying that standard and declining to prosecute is not a judgment that a victim was untruthful. It is recognition that the law requires more than a facially credible account — it requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt in a contested jury trial. When that standard cannot be met, prosecutors cannot ethically file charges.

While confidentiality prevents me from speaking directly about particular cases, I can provide the actual record of sexual assault cases in this jurisdiction from the beginning of 2023 through the end of 2025.

In that three-year period, across the three counties of the 14^th Judicial District, this office received 96 sexual assault cases from law enforcement for prosecution assessment. In 42 of these cases, charges were filed and the case prosecuted.

Some were strong cases, some were very difficult cases, some resulted in convictions and some did not, but in all of them this office did all it could, under the law and with the evidence available, to pursue justice for the victim. In another 42 of the cases, either the victim asked us not to proceed or chose not to cooperate with the prosecution, or no facts constituting a sexual assault were disclosed to law enforcement, so no charges were filed.

In the remaining 12 cases, where the victim cooperated and described events constituting sexual assault, the evidence did not rise to the level required to responsibly and ethically file charges and prosecution was declined. Of those 12 cases over that three-year period, only two arose in Routt County.

This data demonstrates that this office diligently reviews, and where there is sufficient evidence, pursues sexual assault cases. I realize some in the community would like me to address the specific circumstances of particular cases, which is understandable. 

However, I am limited by legal and ethical rules that are designed to protect the victims and the accused. This is not intended as evasion, but rather a reflection of a responsibility I take as seriously as the obligation to be transparent about how this office operates generally. 

Transparency is critical, and I am committed to engaging with members of the community to the full extent I am permitted by law, so they can understand how this office operates, and the legal and ethical standards under which we are required to work.

Matt Karzen
14^th Judicial District Attorney
Sept. 15, 2026