19M / Clean Record / Facing F4 Armed Robbery in CO — Advice on Trial vs. Motions Hearing Plea Strategy?
I’m 19 years old, living in Colorado, and I have a completely clean record (zero criminal history, no felonies, no misdemeanors). I’m currently facing a Class 4 Felony (F-4) Armed Robbery charge.
My public defender is incredibly hard to reach and usually tries to rush me off the phone, so I’m trying to get some outside perspective on my case, my evidence, and my upcoming dates.
The State's Evidence:
No Cameras: The public defender confirmed there is absolutely zero video or security camera footage of the alleged incident.
No Weapon Found: The police never found a gun on me, in my house, or anywhere in my possession.
Vague Messages: They have Facebook messages from my profile, but the messages literally just say "meet me at [this location]" and I met him there. There is absolutely no mention of a gun, a plan, or anything illegal in the texts.
The Witness: The entire case relies on the alleged victim pointing me out in a photo array/lineup.
My Defense / Evidence:
Alibi Witnesses: I have four witnesses (my dad, sister, grandpa, and a friend) who can testify that I was physically at home playing video games during the timeline of the alleged crime and never left. I’m pushing my lawyer to get a defense investigator to take their official statements immediately.
Mitigation: I am a clean worker and have spent the last few months hustling to build a career. I’ve already completed my EPA 608 Universal certification and Colorado Flagger training for HVAC and construction.
Upcoming Court Dates:
9/25: Motions Hearing (My lawyer is supposed to fight to suppress the witness identification and the Facebook messages).
10/26: Pretrial Conference (Plea cut-off deadline).
Week of 11/9: Jury Trial.
My Strategy & Question:
My current plan is to go hard at the Motions Hearing on September 25th to see if we can gut their evidence. If the prosecutor sees their case is weak and offers a better plea deal by the end of that hearing (like straight probation, a halfway house/community corrections, or a short 1-2 year sentence), I am going to take it. Because of my clean background and trade certificates, I feel like I have a strong shot at probation if I plea.
But if they don't offer a good plea, I am considering taking it to trial and taking my chances with the jury on my alibi.
1 Realistically, if we lose the motions hearing, will a Colorado prosecutor usually pull the current plea deal off the table or make it worse?
2 With an alibi backed by 4 people, no camera footage, and a vague "meet me" text, how strong does my defense look for trial? Is it worth the 2-6 year prison risk of an F-4 conviction if the jury doesn't believe my family?
3 Any advice on how to force a public defender to actually investigate my gaming/PlayStation Network logs to prove I was online at home during the crime?
Posted Jun 8, 2026, 4:38 PM UTC