On Christmas Day In 2008, Her Dad Came Home And Found Her Fatally Shot Outside, And Her Killer Has Never Been Arrested
This past Christmas Eve marks fourteen years since Margaret “Mae” Sweet of Colorado Springs was brutally murdered outside of her father’s home.
The thirty-eight-year-old was known to be a thoughtful and reliable person who was full of life. Back in 1988, Margaret graduated from Mitchell High School. She had a brother named Paul and absolutely loved live music– especially attending live shows.
Margaret was also passionate about the outdoors. According to her family, she felt most at peace while white water rafting through the mountains or lounging on the beach in Destin, Florida.
In the months leading up to Margaret’s murder, she had been living in Nashville, Tennessee, and even met her boyfriend there.
Unfortunately, though, their relationship was far from smooth sailing and had its fair share of ups and downs.
Then, by May 13, 2008, Margaret was actually pushed to file for an order of protection against her boyfriend after he reportedly followed her all the way back to Colorado Springs.
There was one incident where he left a dozen roses, a teddy bear, and an engagement ring on top of her car.
Margaret’s boyfriend also claimed to have never physically harmed her, even though Margaret’s family revealed that she had been receiving counseling from a domestic abuse organization known as TESSA.
However, once December of that year rolled around, Margaret returned home to be with and help out her family for the holidays.
The day before Christmas, she had been lending a hand to her father, James, while they cared for her stepmother, Peggy. At the time, Peggy had been recovering from surgery at a nearby hospital.
So, Margaret and James took turns visiting Peggy in the hospital. Later that evening, though, when Margaret was at home and it was her father’s turn to visit his wife, tragedy struck.
At about 11:00 p.m., some neighbors reportedly overheard a loud argument between Margaret and an unidentified man. Following this verbal altercation, the witnesses also heard a gunshot outside James’ home.
Despite this, the authorities were never called, and Margaret’s father had no clue that a disaster had occurred on his property.
So, on Christmas morning, James returned home as normal. Upon arriving, though, he noticed discoloration on his white picket fence.
Then, once inspecting the scene closer, James found his daughter’s bloodied body lying facedown on the front porch– with one leg inside the basement wall.
The authorities were immediately called, but the effort was too late. Investigators declared Margaret dead on the scene. Her car door was also found left open, with all of her valuable belongings left inside.
A ballistic report later revealed that she had been fatally shot using the same gun that was used to injure a man involved in a drug deal one year prior, in 2007. In that case, the gunshot victim survived, but no one was ever arrested.
Although, toxicology reports proved that Margaret had been completely sober at the time of her murder. Moreover, investigators could not find any connection between her and the drug trade.
Her ex-boyfriend was questioned by the police. But, he claimed to have been out on a date with another woman at the time of Margaret’s murder.
So, ever since 2008, her family has still been waiting for justice to get served. They created a website entitled Justice For Margaret “Mae” Sweet in hopes of spreading awareness about her case. In the meantime, though, the holidays– particularly Christmas– have never been the same.
Margaret was five foot eleven, weighed one hundred and forty-five pounds, and had red hair and blue eyes. Her father’s home was located at 1300 Forsdick Circle, and Margaret also sometimes went by the alias Shelby Jamison.
If you were near Forsdick Circle on Christmas Eve in 2008, or if you have any other information regarding Margaret’s case, you are urged to contact the Colorado Springs Police Department at (719) 444-7000.
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