Colorado Man Accused of Killing Infant to “Get Laid”, Court Reopens the Case

A 24-year-old Colorado man is now facing reinstated charges after allegedly killing an infant inside a motel. The baby was the son of the woman that the suspect had previously promised to watch over. Court records against the man reveal that his intention for murdering the child was only to get laid by the latter’s mother.

It was in May 2023 when charges of murder and child abuse were first levied against the man. However, these were subsequently dropped a year later, after a district court judge claimed that the prosecutor handling the case had made comments about it to the press. The judge’s actions were defined as outrageous government conduct.

William Jacobs was babysitting infant Edward Hayes after volunteering to watch the child for his mother. The then-21-year-old was arrested after the infant was found dead at a Motel 6 in Cañon City.

Court documents revealed that Jacobs met the child’s mother at the motel, where she worked as a front desk clerk. He stayed there, and the two later moved into the same room, where the infant was eventually found dead. The child’s body showed visible signs of abuse, and investigators identified Jacobs as the last person known to have been with the infant.

Later, during a police interview, the suspect admitted not only to killing Edward but also to abusing him. He admitted to biting the child’s arm while caring for him. Moreover, Jacobs said he accidentally hit the infant’s head on a door while trying to make the child vomit.

During the course of the investigation, the former 11th Judicial District Attorney in the case, Linda Stanely, had claimed that Jacobs only agreed to look after the child in the hope that the mother would sleep with him. However, she violated judicial procedure since this statement of hers was made to the press.

Stanley had remarked, “I'm going to be very blunt here. He has zero investment in this child. Zero. He's watching that baby so he can get laid… and have a place to sleep. I'm sorry to be that blunt, but honest to God, that's what's going on."

The attorney had further spoken vividly of her suspicions about Jacobs from the first go. Stanley mentioned, “I had just had so many buzzers going off when they said the boyfriend was watching him. There were a whole lot of things indicative of a prior incident with that baby.”

Shortly after, the District Attorney was disbarred and removed from office in November 2024, citing ethical violations. It was finally in May 2026 that the Colorado Court of Appeals reversed the decision to drop all charges against the prime suspect, Jacobs, in the murder case of the infant.

The bench agreed that Stanley’s code of conduct during the course of the investigation does not satisfy the conditions required to call it an outrageous government conduct. The court claimed that the attorney’s statements did not manipulate or impact the nature of charges that had been placed against the suspect.

The court order further clarified, “Stanley's commentary on the case did not play any part in the filing of charges against Jacobs. … Therefore, regardless of how improper Stanley's public comments were, they did not constitute the kind of outrageous conduct that justifies the sanction of dismissal." Given the change of directives in the case, Jacobs is expected to be re-arrested soon.