| Murder of Paige Birgfeld | |||||||
| Location: | Grand Junction, Colorado, U.S. | ||||||
| Type: | Murder, kidnapping | ||||||
| Victim: | Paige Birgfeld | ||||||
| Perpetrator: | Lester Jones | ||||||
| Verdict: | Guilty of all charges | ||||||
| Charges: |
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The murder of Paige Birgfeld occurred on June 28, 2007, in Grand Junction, Colorado, in which 34-year-old Paige Birgfeld was reported missing by her 8-year-old daughter.[1] On July 1, 2007, Birgfeld's red Ford Focus car was found on fire in a parking lot, without any trace of Birgfeld. The investigation into her disappearance took an unexpected turn when it was discovered that Birgfeld was living a double life as an escort in a secret business called Models Inc., under the alias "Carrie".[2]
On March 6, 2012, two hikers found the remains of Birgfeld in Delta County.[3] The body had duct tape, leading authorities to conclude that Birgfeld had been kidnapped and murdered. Lester Ralph Jones was the prime suspect in Birgfeld's disappearance.[4] Jones was Birgfeld's former client with a history of domestic violence.[5] [6] In November 2014, 63-year-old Jones was charged of kidnapping, first-degree murder, felony murder, and second-degree murder involving the death of Paige Birgfeld. In December 2016, Jones was found guilty of all charges and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.[7]
The high-profile disappearance and murder of Birgfeld gained media attention and become subject of major media coverage, being covered by national news for years.[8] [9]
Paige Meredith Birgfeld[10] was born on April 27, 1973, in Atlanta, Georgia.[11] At some point she along with her parents moved to Denver, Colorado, in where she attended high school. In 1995, Birgfeld married her high school boyfriend, Howard "Ron" Beigler. Birgfeld studied nursing for a while at the University of Florida.[12] They divorced in 1997 because Beigler did not want children and Birgfeld did. Her parents, Suzanne and Frank Birgfeld, described her as "a loving, devoted, and excellent mother".[13] [14]
In 1997, Birgfeld met Rob Dixon, a wealthy businessman whom she married a year later. The couple moved to a big house on Hill Avenue, in Grand Junction, Colorado.[15] [16] Birgfeld and Dixon had three children: Jess, Taft, and Kohl.[17] The two had a complicated and volatile relationship, to the point where Birgfeld called 911 after a dispute in 2004. Birgfeld said that her husband had threatened that she would "come home and find [their children] all murdered". A year later, Birgfeld accused Dixon of attacking her, leading to him being charged with third-degree assault.. In 2006, they divorced, and Dixon moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[18]
Birgfeld worked different jobs after her second divorce, including her pre-school dance business and sold high-end kitchen supplies for a company called The Pampered Chef.[19] At the time of her disappearance, Birgfeld was reconnecting with her first ex-husband, Howard Beigler.
On June 28, 2007, Birgfeld left her home around 1 p.m. to meet Beigler for a picnic day.[20] They were together until 7 p.m., then they separated and kept in touch via phone call. Beigler was one of the last people to speak and see Birgfeld alive. Birgfeld never came home. Later, Birgfeld's 8-year-old daughter, Jess, went to the Mesa County Sheriff's Office to report her mother missing after she did not return home. After Birgfeld's disappearance, her brother, Craig, moved with his family from Seattle, Washington, to Birgfeld's house to help take care of her three kids. Mesa County Sheriff Stan Hilkey was convinced that Birgfeld had not left of her own accord.
On July 1, around 10 p.m., a 911 call reported what was later identified as Birgfeld's red Ford Focus in flames in an empty parking lot two miles from her house.[21] In Birgfeld's car and on Highway 50, police found personal items, checks, and business cards from a company named Models Inc.[22]
Police looked through Birgfeld's computer and cell phone and discovered Models Inc was an escort business, which Birgfeld managed. There were also websites with Birgfeld's photo of a high-priced escort named Carrie.[2] [23] Birgfeld was leading a secret double life as an escort.[24] According to Birgfeld's parents, she likely did it to financially support her children and provide for their lifestyle. Biegler, Birgfeld's first husband, stated that she had previously worked as a freelance exotic dancer.
Mesa County Sheriff's Office had several suspects, including Birgfeld's ex-husbands, especially Dixon, but both had alibis. At the start of the investigation, authorities focused on Beigler, as he had been with Birgfeld on the day of her disappearance, and they met for a picnic.
The sherrif office also had the names of the clients of Models Inc., of which there were more than 60 suspects. Rubinstein's team was able to find the main suspect on the list since that suspect used a track phone.
The suspect was 65-year-old man Lester Ralph Jones, a motorhome mechanic, who was married at the time. Jones initially denied knowing Birgfeld, until officers showed him his call logs, where he had contacted Birgfeld and her escort agency before Birgfeld's disappearance.[25] Jones has a previous criminal record, including a five-year prison sentence for first-degree assault and second-degree attempted kidnapping of her ex-wife.[26] Chief Deputy District Attorney Dan Rubenstein said that both he and the police were certain Jones was responsible for Birgfeld's disappearance, but it was difficult to arrest him without her body.
On March 6, 2012, two hikers found skeletal remains in the Wells Gulch area in Delta County, Colorado.[27] Police were able to identify the remains as Paige Birgfeld from dental records. Rubenstein said, "There were some very key evidentiary things that we located, specifically there was duct tape that was around her skull and mandible, that indicates that she was kidnapped". Prosecutors and police concluded that Birgfeld had been kidnapped and murdered. However, due to the condition of her body, they were unable to determine the cause of death.[28]
In November 2014, Jones was charged of kidnapping, first-degree murder, felony murder, and second-degree murder involving the death of Paige Birgfeld.
On July 25, 2016, the first trial began. The prosecutors argued that Jones kidnapped and murdered Birgfeld, drove her car down Highway 50, dumped her body in a ravine, and then returned to Grand Junction, where he set her car on fire. Although Jones was initially charged with arson, the charge was later dismissed due to the statute of limitations expiring. In September 2016, the first trial against Jones was declared a mistrial because the jury could not agree on a verdict.[29] [30]
In the second trial, in December 2016, the jury found Jones guilty of all charges and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
Birgfeld's disappearance was profiled in the second episode of Disappeared, "A Mother's Secret", prior to the discovery of her body in March 2012.
In June 2023, the British television show The Killer in My Family aired an episode about Lisa Nance, Jones's former wife, describing the abuse she endured during their marriage. She later testified in the trial.