A Colorado family says they were jolted out of sleep by a terrifying discovery after hearing unfamiliar footsteps echoing through their home in the early morning hours.
Kevin Root told KDVR TV that the disturbance began around 3:30 a.m., when the sound of someone climbing the stairs snapped him and his wife awake.
He said the footsteps were loud and immediately suspicious. “Heard heavy footsteps coming up the stairs,” Kevin recalled, noting that neither of their children sounded like the person approaching.
“As a parent, you know your kids’ footsteps, and this was not any of our kids.”
Sarah Root said the situation became even more chilling when she looked toward their bedroom door.
The couple had left it open a bit, and she said she spotted a moving figure in the hallway.
“We had our door slightly cracked, and I saw the shadow go by, and that just is a sinking feeling,” Sarah told KDVR.
According to the family, the intruder had forced entry by damaging the front door lock and then made his way inside without making any attempt to hide his presence.
Moments later he was heading toward the second floor, where the couple’s children were sleeping.
Kevin said he called out in hopes of startling the stranger and making it clear the family was awake.
“As I heard him coming up, I said, ‘Who is this?’ I just yelled, thinking, ‘Let me just let him know, like, we know you’re here. We’re awake,'” he said.
But the man did not respond, the Roots said, and instead continued toward the children’s rooms.
Sarah described the fear that took over as she realized the intruder was steps away from the young kids.
“As a mom, it’s just your worst nightmare,” she told the station. “It’s terrifying.”
The couple did not know whether the intruder was armed. Even so, Kevin said he was suddenly certain there was no choice but to intervene.
“There comes a moment where you’re like, ‘This is me. I’m a husband and a father; it’s on me to do something,'” he explained.
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While Sarah called 911 from the bedroom, Kevin rushed into the hallway. “It was just one of those, like, ‘This is my moment,'” he said.
Kevin said he lunged at the intruder and used sheer force to shove him backward down the staircase.
Sarah said afterward that they are simply relieved everyone escaped unharmed. “We’re just thankful that everyone is OK,” she said.
Authorities later identified the intruder as 36-year-old Charley Cooley.
KDVR reported that he now faces a charge of felony second degree robbery and that court documents show he had recently been arrested in September for a separate felony robbery case.
According to Fox News, Cooley was let out of jail shortly after that earlier arrest.
When the Roots learned about his past, Sarah said it added to the emotional weight of the experience.
“We found out later about his criminal background, and that stirred up a whole new layer of emotion,” she told the outlet.
“It feels unsettling that something so invasive and violating is permitted to happen and the person is back on the street.”
The Denver District Attorney’s Office told Fox News that Cooley’s bond was set at $5,000 property or surety or a $500 cash option after the break in at the Root home. According to the outlets, he paid the $500 required to be released.
Kevin said the release raises troubling questions for families in similar situations.
“Multiple offenses, and he’s been released both times,” he said. “The reality is he’s back out and has a history of doing this.”
Sarah told Fox News that “we hope there’s justice and that he’s placed somewhere that prevents him from hurting anyone else.”
In Michigan, another case involving a violent intrusion has resulted in a lengthy prison sentence for a former Marine Corps recruiter who carried out a late night attack on an 11-year-old girl.
Prosecutors announced that 25-year-old Ricardo Perez Castillo pleaded no contest to charges of assault with intent to murder, first degree home invasion and second degree assault with intent to commit criminal sexual conduct.
According to the Kent County Prosecutor’s Office, Castillo entered a Rockford home during the early morning hours of June 15, 2024.
Investigators said he slipped inside through a side door before taking a knife from the kitchen and removing his pants and underwear.
From there, authorities said he walked upstairs into a bedroom where a young girl and her friend were sleeping.
Police said he stabbed the 11-year-old multiple times, causing her to scream and wake the household.
The girl’s cries brought her parents running, and the homeowner managed to hold Castillo at gunpoint until deputies arrived.
Authorities received a call just before 3 a.m. about a man inside the house. Kent County Undersheriff Bryan Muir told WXMI that the intruder was covered in a “large amount of blood.”
He confirmed that while the 11-year-old victim sustained numerous stab wounds, the homeowner’s daughter was not physically harmed.
“Thankful we’re able to get this monster off the streets,” Muir told the station. “Obviously, all of our thoughts and prayers go to [the victim] and her family.”
Investigators later said Castillo admitted that he intended to kill the girl and sexually assault her afterward.
Castillo entered his no contest plea in October. During the sentencing on November 26, he knelt on the courtroom floor and addressed the families.
“I know I don’t deserve it. I can’t imagine all the nightmares,” he said. “I’m sorry.”
Judge Christina Mims did not hold back her disgust in describing the severity of the case.
“This case is disturbing on so many levels,” she said. “What you engaged in was just what comes to mind is a real life horror movie or a horror show where you’re stabbing this child. It’s just by the grace of God that she wasn’t killed.”
During the hearing, the 11 year old victim’s father and the homeowner spoke about the lasting trauma. The prosecutor also read a statement written by the young girl.
“My daughter is suffering still every day,” the homeowner said. “She worries about somebody coming into her house.”
He also noted that the family had to hear disturbing details about what Castillo allegedly wanted to do.
“We’ve heard what he has wanted to do to our family,” he said. “What he wanted to do to my daughter and daughter’s friend. And that’s just not OK.”
“This should not be taken lightly. I’m pleading with you just to make an example out of this. I’m just pleading with you,” he begged the judge.
In her letter, the girl described how the attack changed her day to day life. “I couldn’t lift my arm or even do a sit up in gym. In class, I felt embarrassed,” she wrote.
She said that classmates, teachers, and even students in younger grades knew about the stabbing and it “really affected” her.
She said the emotional impact has been just as severe. “This crime has affected me mentally too. I go to counseling and talk about what happened to me,” she wrote.
“I had bad visions of looking out my bedroom window and seeing a man running towards me with a knife, wanting to hurt me.”
The girl ended her letter with a plea to the court. “I do not want this to happen to another girl. I don’t want anyone else to go through what I did and have gone through. Please keep this man in prison,” she wrote.
Judge Mims sentenced Castillo to between 18 and 40 years in prison for the assault with intent to murder conviction.
He received shorter terms for the remaining charges, which will be served at the same time.
At minimum, he will spend 15 years in prison and must also register as a sex offender.
