DENVER (KDVR) — Joel Lang was in court, accused of hitting, dragging and eventually killing Kirsty Kerst at a Monument McDonald’s drive-through in 2024. Lang, who turned himself in after police sent out a bulletin with his vehicle in the image, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder.
His charges were dropped after he was found incompetent to stand trial earlier this month.
“This really has changed our entire lives. There is no going back to normal for us. This is our normal. We’re standing up to fight against injustice, and that’s not a small thing,” Kerst’s daughter Britany Visage said.
The Kerst family is now part of an advocacy group asking for a change in Colorado’s competency laws.
“I don’t want this to keep happening to other peoples, to other people. What happened to our mom really is devastating. But to be able to have this situation stop for other families, that’s the main goal,” Kerst’s daughter Hanna Kerst said.
The family is not alone, joined by Dante White. White’s son was the target of an attempted kidnapping by nearly kidnapped by Carmen Galligan, previously known as Solomon Galligan, who is a registered sex offender. The incident was caught on video near Black Forest Elementary School in Aurora.
Galligan’s charges were dropped last week because doctors ruled Galligan, too, has a chronic medical condition and will never be competent to stand trial.
“I’d be lying if I didn’t say I’d be, you know, that I’m pissed off. I’m mad, right? It’s just going to happen again, you know, and that’s the truth. He’s not going to get the help that he needs,” Smith said.
The group is organizing a movement to try and get lawmakers’ attention, calling out district attorneys to pressure their elected officials in the upcoming special session to reconsider legislation passed in the past year.
FOX 31 reached out to two local district attorneys about these pleas.
District Attorney George Brauchler of Colorado’s 23rd Judicial District sent a statement saying in part:
“No sane person could view Colorado’s current competency legislation as anything other than bonkers. It prioritizes keeping criminals of all kinds on our streets, near our schools and in our parks…despite believing they are so messed up, they cannot understand the basics of how our court system works.”
FOX 31 also reached out to the governor’s office, and they sent the following statement:
“Dangerous criminals should never be released onto the streets. We want to work with everyone to determine if there are additional reforms that should be made to ensure that people who could potentially endanger others or themselves are not threatening public safety. Governor Polis is committed to making Colorado communities safer, and he’s signed a number of laws to do that, including providing more resources to local law enforcement, cracking down on auto and gun theft, and supporting crime prevention.”
It’s unclear if the topic will be broached during the upcoming special session.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
