3 men accused of torturing roommate for 14 hours inside Colorado home

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. (Court TV/Scripps News Denver) — Three men are facing charges after they allegedly kidnapped and tortured their roommate for hours inside a Colorado home.

Jason Carlson (L), Sherrell Allen (C) and Luke Anaya (R) are charged with attempted first-degree murder, kidnapping and assault. (Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office)

Jason Carlson, 49, Luke Anaya, 41, and Sherrell Allen, 48, are each charged with attempted first-degree felony murder, kidnapping and assault after the alleged victim described what happened to police. The victim, a 45-year-old man,  told officers that he had been tied up, beaten, burned and whipped for 14 hours at his home.

The victim told investigators he had been living at the property, owned by Carlson, for a couple of weeks with his sister. He said he was in the basement bedroom early Sunday morning when he heard the three suspects in the house talking about beating him up. The victim called his sister and said they needed to get out of the house, then tried to crawl out of the bedroom window unsuccessfully.

Despite an attempt to barricade himself inside the room, the victim told police that Carlson, Anaya and Allen broke in a short time later. At that point, the victim said he was shot with rock salt fired from an Airsoft-type firearm, assaulted and knocked to the floor. He suffered severe injuries after one of the suspects allegedly stepped on his neck, causing him to lose consciousness.

When the victim woke up, he said he was bound to a chair with zip ties and electrical tape. He said the suspects took turns hitting his knees with a baseball bat, while one hit his head with a pry bar and another tried to burn him by pouring rubbing alcohol on his face and lighting the liquid on fire. At some point, the victim says he was moved upstairs, where the assault continued.

The attack allegedly stopped when a fourth roommate arrived at the house and told the trio to leave the victim alone. That roommate called a man, unknown to the victim, who then took him to the hospital and dropped the victim at the emergency entrance.

The victim suffered from singed eyebrows, burn marks on his face, swollen knees and broken thyroid cartilage in his neck. Markings on his wrists and ankles were “consistent with his story of being bound,” according to court documents.

Investigators are working to locate a fourth suspect, who has not been identified. Police have not offered any motive for the attack.