Set on fire, tied up

Horror trio tortured flatmates for 14 hours

On Sunday morning, the victim overheard the owner of the house (small picture) talking to his housemates about beating him up.(Bild: IVAN KOKOULIN, stock.adobe.com, Jefferson County Sheriffs Department)

Disputes between roommates happen everywhere and all the time. But what happened in a shared apartment among older men in Colorado (USA) is hard to beat in terms of brutality. A trio tortured a 45-year-old man with crowbars, baseball bats and rubbing alcohol.

The police accuse landlord Jason Carlson and two other lodgers of overpowering a male victim and torturing him for 14 hours. The trio must now stand trial for attempted murder and grievous bodily harm.

Men broke down the door
According to the Denver Post, the abused man stated that he had only moved into Carlson's house with his sister two weeks before the crime. On Sunday morning, he overheard the owner of the house talking to Sherell Allen and Luke Anaya about beating him up: "I barricaded myself in my bedroom, but the others still managed to break down the door."

Jason Carlson(Bild: Jefferson County Sheriffs Department)

His attackers then allegedly shot at him with air pistols and knocked him to the ground: "Then one of them kicked me in the neck with his foot and I fainted." When he regained consciousness, he was tied to a chair with plastic handcuffs and armored tape.

Rubbing alcohol thrown in his face
Carlson, Allen and Anaya then allegedly took turns torturing him using various methods. While one of his tormentors hit him against his knees with a baseball bat, the second pulled a crowbar over his skull. The third poured rubbing alcohol in his face and set it on fire.

Sherell Allen(Bild: Jefferson County Sheriffs Department)

The ordeal only came to an end late in the evening when another roommate came home and convinced the others to let go of their victim. He then drove the injured man to the emergency room of the local hospital.

Luke Anaya(Bild: Jefferson County Sheriffs Department)

According to the prosecution, the 45-year-old's injuries substantiated his allegations: "He had burns on his face, severely swollen kneecaps and a broken thyroid cartilage in his neck. His wrists and ankles showed deep marks like those caused by shackling with plastic handcuffs." 

Carlson (49), Allen (48) and Anaya (41), who face up to 50 years in prison if convicted, are currently still in custody - having been unable to post their bail of 300,000 dollars each. Their victim is still being treated in hospital.