A Colorado man allegedly killed his teenage co-worker at a Walgreens in Colorado Springs on Saturday after she rejected his romantic advances.
According to arrest papers obtained by KKTV on Tuesday, Joshua Johnson, 28, was reportedly charged with first-degree murder in the death of 17-year-old Riley Whitelaw. Whitelaw was found dead on Saturday on the break room floor in a Walgreens in northern Colorado Springs, where both she and Johnson worked.
In 2021, Whitelaw reported to her manager that Johnson made her uncomfortable and "made advances toward her." Whitelaw requested to work different hours than Johnson, and the managers permitted it. However, Whitelaw recently asked for more hours at work. Her bosses warned her that would mean working with Johnson, but still, she agreed. The same Walgreens hired Whitelaw's partner. A manager told police that Johnson appeared to be jealous of Whitelaw's boyfriend.
On the day of the murder, Johnson was caught on surveillance video stacking boxes to block a camera in the break room. Before 7:00 p.m., Whitelaw's body was reportedly found on the floor of that same room. The manager said he checked the break room after looking the surveillance and found Whitelaw's body. According to witnesses, there was "blood everywhere." Her ID badge and radio earpiece were lying near her feet.
"Several police cars came speeding into the parking lot, and I looked out my window, which is right across, and they went inside, went in circles around the building, and then came out and they were here for hours," said neighbor Jennifer James.
Police said she "suffered significant trauma to her neck area". Whitelaw's official cause of death has not been determined.
Meanwhile, Johnson was found walking along Interstate 25. During an interview with police, he said he "fell in the blood" and went home to change. He was covered in cuts and bruises when state troopers spotted him. Johnson also told troopers he had been attacked at a Walgreens in Colorado Springs. However, when they checked in with the Colorado Springs Police Department, they learned Johnson was the suspect in the incident. He did not mention why he never called the police to report that there was a dead girl in the break room.
Johnson was arrested and transported back to Colorado Springs, where he was being held without bond in the El Paso County Jail. He is scheduled back in court on Tuesday, June 21.
