Professor formally charged after wife found next to deceased infant

DENVER (Scripps News Denver) — A professor has been formally charged with killing his wife at their Denver home after she was found next to their deceased infant daughter.

Nicholas Myklebust, who was a Regis University associate professor of English at the time, was arrested last week after he allegedly called 911 just before 7 a.m. Monday to report that he found his wife bleeding on the ground and their infant daughter not breathing.

Nicholas Myklebust (via Scripps News Denver)

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When officers arrived at the home, they found a woman with blunt force injuries on her head and face, according to a probable cause statement. She was taken to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The child was found on a bed in a bedroom. She was pronounced dead and did not have any visible injuries, according to the statement. Detectives noticed that Myklebust’s knuckles appeared to have bruising, according to court documents.

Myklebust was taken to Denver Police headquarters for questioning. He was arrested the next day and his bond was set at $5 million.

On Friday, Myklebust was formally charged with one count of first-degree murder in connection with his wife’s death and one count of tampering with physical evidence. As of now, he is not facing charges in connection with the death of the infant.

He appeared in court in the afternoon for his second advisement. The defense has filed a series of motions, including about preserving evidence, though they did not go into detail about them.

Myklebust’s bond remained at $5 million cash only.

He is next due in court on Aug. 15.

Also on Friday, the Denver Office of the Medical Examiner released the names of the deceased.

The woman was identified as Seorin Kim, 44, according to the medical examiner. Her cause of death was ruled as blunt force injuries and her manner of death was listed as a homicide.

The infant was identified as Lesley Kim, who was born in early May. She died at the scene. Her cause and manner of death are pending.

Regis University confirmed Myklebust is not affiliated with the school anymore.

This story was originally published by Scripps News Denver, an E.W. Scripps Company.