Woman believed to be Hanme K Clark’s girlfriend arrested in connection to Colorado property shooting
WESTCLIFFE, COLORADO: A peaceful autumn morning in rural Colorado turned tragic when a heated property dispute turned deadly. Longtime rancher and neighbor Hanme K Clark opened fire on a group of people gathered near a survey marker on private land outside Westcliffe, Colorado, killing three and critically injuring one, as per ABC News.
Nancy Rae Medina-Kochis was arrested as accessory to crime
On Monday, November 20, a deadly shooting took place on a rural property near Westcliffe, Colorado over an ongoing land dispute.
According to the Custer County Sheriff's Office (CCSO), neighbor Hanme K Clark, yelled about trespassing and then opened fire, killing three people - Robert Geers, 63, his wife Beth Wade Geers, 73, and their friend James Daulton, 58. Daulton's wife, Patty Daulton, was also wounded in the shooting.
Shortly after the incident on Tuesday, November 21, Clark was arrested near Albuquerque, New Mexico following a 25-hour manhunt. The CCSO also announced on Thursday, November 23 that Clark's suspected girlfriend, Nancy Rae Medina-Kochis, 50, was arrested in New Mexico as an accessory to the crime.
Hanme K Clark was involved in multiple property disputes
According to court documents and statements from other neighbors, Clark had been involved in multiple heated property disputes over the years. He and Medina-Kochis jointly owned a home and business called Herbal Gardens Wellness on the land, which provided rehabilitation services for PTSD patients, as reported by KRDO.
In 2020, their business Herbal Gardens Wellness LLC filed a lawsuit against multiple neighbors, claiming they didn't have the legal right to use an easement that crossed over their property.
They also alleged the neighbors harassed them over their Native American heritage. However, a judge later ruled in 2022 that the neighbors could keep using the easement, ordering the business to pay them nearly $9,000 in damages.
An appeal of that court decision by Herbal Gardens Wellness was eventually dismissed earlier this year. Other neighbors also reported incidents of Clark aggressively confronting them over land boundaries, blocking access, posting warning signs that he was armed, and repeatedly trespassing on their properties.
According to the CCSO, Geers had submitted a photo on November 11, 2023 showing Clark in hunting gear on his land holding a rifle - the fourth alleged trespassing incident. The shooting occurred just over a week later during another property line dispute with a surveyor.
Clark and Medina-Kochis remain in police custody
Both Clark and Medina-Kochis remain in police custody, pending further investigation and potential charges over the shooting. Prosecutors have not yet announced formal charges against the pair.
The CCSO spokesperson, Reggie Foster stated that Medina-Kochis is believed to be Clark's girlfriend and was arrested as an accessory to the murders.
It is currently unknown if Clark or Medina-Kochis have obtained legal representation. The shooting has sent shockwaves through the small ranching community of Westcliffe. Long-simmering land feuds between neighbors combined with access to firearms proved to have tragic consequences.
