Kirk Mitchell relished making sense of a thriller.
It’s no secret how the longtime Denver Put up reporter earned himself the nickname Kirk “Chilly Case” Mitchell following years of devoted protection of unsolved legal investigations throughout Colorado, together with writing concerning the state’s most sensational murders and different mayhem.
Mitchell, who retired from The Put up in 2020 after 22 years on the newspaper, died this week in Pennsylvania after battling prostate most cancers since 2016. He was 64.
His byline could be discovered on tales about topics starting from the Aurora theater capturing to remedy canine in prisons to the drug kingpin “El Chapo.”
Oldest son Vance Mitchell stated his father was by no means afraid to fulfill with convicted killers or interview somebody from any stroll of life.
“He appeared like he approached it as serving to individuals inform their story in their very own phrases,” Vance Mitchell stated.
Buddies, former coworkers and members of the family had been desirous to return the favor, sharing Kirk Mitchell’s story within the pages his byline as soon as graced.
Kirk’s story
Kirk Vance Mitchell Sr. was born in Peru, Indiana, the place his father was stationed with the U.S. Air Pressure. After transferring round with the service, the Mitchells settled in Keene, New York, the place Kirk’s dad and mom, who had been achieved painters, moved the household right into a mattress and breakfast they’d purchased.
The younger Mitchell performed soccer, basketball and soccer at Keene Central Faculty, from which he graduated in 1977. All through his skilled profession, Mitchell’s resume boasted that he graduated within the Prime 10 in his senior class. There have been solely 9 college students, daughter-in-law Debbie Mitchell stated.
“He actually put that on all of his resumes,” she stated.
After highschool, Mitchell served two years in Quito, Ecuador, on his mission with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. After returning, Mitchell earned his journalism diploma from Brigham Younger College.
Mitchell started his journalism profession on the Related Press in Salt Lake Metropolis, then labored at newspapers in Twin Falls, Idaho, and Mesa, Arizona, earlier than becoming a member of The Put up in 1998.
At The Put up, Mitchell spent years as a criminal offense reporter, overlaying a few of the most infamous murders in Colorado, together with the 2013 assassination of Colorado Division of Corrections government director Tom Clements by a parolee who was a member of a white supremacist gang within the jail system.
MItchell was most happy with his contributions to 2 of the Pulitzer Prizes gained by The Put up’s newsroom — the 2000 and 2013 awards within the breaking information class for protection of the Columbine Excessive Faculty and Aurora movie show massacres, respectively.
“He was a dogged reporter,” stated Vikki Migoya, a former Put up editor who now works as a public affairs specialist with the FBI. “He would pay money for one thing and dig and dig.”
Migoya famous Mitchell, who she edited whereas she labored on the paper, by no means turned down a narrative and would give it his all whether or not a brief crime merchandise, a vacation function or a particular investigation.
“He might discover folks that no one else might discover,” Migoya stated. “If we had been attempting to find somebody — the topic of a lawsuit or a relative of somebody we would have liked on the cellphone — Kirk was the one who would dig in and have the ability to discover that particular person.”
For years, Mitchell wrote The Put up’s chilly case weblog, which garnered a few of the highest readership on the newspaper’s web site. His fascination with unsolved crimes earned him the nickname “Chilly Case” from his colleagues on the paper’s metropolis desk.
“An individual who spent so a few years writing about crime might change into hardened and cynical however that didn’t occur to Kirk,” stated Lee Ann Colacioppo, The Put up’s government editor. “There was an optimism to him that you can really see in the way in which his eyes twinkled and a need for justice that discovered its voice in his devotion to writing about chilly instances. He was a diligent and delicate reporter and a proud and devoted father. The newsroom simply felt proper when he was hunched over his pc.”
Generally his weblog posts would generate suggestions that will assist detectives resolve the crime, Vance Mitchell stated.
“The factor he was most keen about was attempting to resolve the thriller,” he stated.
Whereas overlaying a lot tragedy, Kirk Mitchell was additionally riveted by discovering the sunshine in individuals.
Put up photographer R.J. Sangosti recalled Mitchell repeatedly writing tales about individuals in jail coaching remedy canine behind bars and discovering pleasure in watching them work together with the animals.
“He was enthralled by how somebody could possibly be a cold-hearted legal at one level of their life and, at a special level, they might share their bunk with a canine and educate it to like and care for a kid with extreme autism,” Sangosti stated. “Kirk noticed individuals at their worst, however one way or the other he all the time was capable of finding the perfect in that particular person and included that in his tales.”
Kirk Mitchell was a voracious reader, having fun with — you guessed it — thriller novels.
He authored a nonfiction guide, “The Spin Physician,” concerning the 2002 dying of Nancy Sonnenfeld, explaining how her husband Kurt Sonnenfeld turned the first suspect earlier than escaping to Argentina and preventing extradition again to Denver.
The Sonnenfeld case was certainly one of many during which Mitchell was referred to as to seem on true-crime tv reveals to speak about his protection. He continued to seem on these reveals even into his retirement.
Regardless of the typically troublesome material, Mitchell had a humorousness about his work.
“Usually we’d ask him, ‘How was work?’ And he would say, ‘Properly, I used to be in jail,’” Vance Mitchell stated. “He thought it was humorous to inform individuals he went to jail.”
A household man
Family members described Mitchell as a household man, epitomized by his shut companionship together with his son Jonathon Mitchell, who has Down syndrome.
The 2 loved superhero films and Kirk Mitchell typically volunteered at an ARC Thrift Retailer in Aurora the place Jonathon labored so the 2 might spend time collectively.
“Kirk was so concerned with him and so happy with him,” Migoya stated. “It all the time touched me, the connection he had and the truth that he was so supportive of his son.”
Mitchell was recognized with stage 4 prostate most cancers in 2016 and fought it till his dying.
He died Monday at his residence in Lititz, Pennsylvania, the place he lived together with his spouse Robin Ritchie. They married in 2022.
After retirement, Mitchell loved touring round america to go to his massive household. He attended live shows and sporting occasions that his grandchildren participated in, Debbie Mitchell stated.
Kirk Mitchell is survived by his spouse and 5 kids: Kirk Vance Mitchell, Jr., Jonathon James Mitchell, Jennifer Noelle Marler, Stacy Ann Amador and Michael Jensen Mitchell. He had eight grandchildren.
A memorial service will probably be held Saturday in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The household asks that memorial donations be made to the Rocky Mountain Down Syndrome Affiliation or the Utah Down Syndrome Basis.
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