Mother hopes to leave the house where her son died

By Javier Erik Olvera, Rocky Mountain News
May 29, 2004

Blood stains the carpet - a constant reminder of the day Helen Childs would like to forget, but can't seem to shake.

It creeps into her dreams, causing her to wake each night and cry.

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If anything, she wants to move from the house where her developmentally disabled 15-year-old son, Paul, was shot by Denver police officer James Turney when the boy wouldn't drop a knife he wielded.

Earlier this week, Helen Childs reached a settlement with the city of Denver for $1,325,000 - a decision she made to avoid a trial so she can mourn her son out of the public eye.

The settlement bars her from granting interviews with the news media, but she told her attorney, Timothy Rastello, that she wants to use the money to leave 5550 Thrill Place.

She doesn't believe it's blood money, but considers it a gift sent from heaven by her son to help her move past the worst year of her life.

It started July 5, 2003, when Paul grabbed a 13-inch kitchen knife because he wanted to leave the house and his mother wouldn't let him.

Her daughter, Ashley, called police.

When officers arrived, they ordered everyone out of the house, but Paul Childs stayed and wouldn't drop the knife. That's when Turney shot him four times.

The community was outraged and demanded an overhaul in police procedures. Turney received 10 months unpaid suspension.

Helen Childs, a private and shy woman, was thrust into the middle of the controversy - a position she found uncomfortable.

Thursday morning, Rastello sat with Helen Childs inside the home. Her 5-month-old grandson, AaJaiveon Nash Hall, played in a baby walker near the spot where his uncle died.

Childs, 39, and Rastello spoke about the settlement. Under the terms, $726,115 will be split between her and her attorneys, Holland & Hart and well-known California defense attorney Johnnie Cochran Jr. The exact amount her attorneys will get hasn't been released.

Another $580,000 will be placed in a tax-free annuity - which will grow to $908,093 with interest over its 20-year life - for Helen Childs.

Beginning Aug. 1, she also will receive a monthly payment of $3,783.72 for the next 20 years and plans to put up to $400 a month in a retirement fund.

The amount is much more than she could have earned as a certified nurse's aid in retirement homes, a job she held before her son's death.

Ashley Childs, 16, will receive a $5,000 check every year on her birthday starting June 5, 2005, and ending on June 5, 2008, according to the seven-page settlement document.

The money set aside for the girl - who gave her son Paul's middle name - is intended to help with college costs, Rastello said.

"She considers it a birthday gift from her brother who can't be with her anymore," Helen Childs told Rastello.

Helen Childs tries to avert her eyes from the stain on the floor and the bullet hole in a wall.

The drama is almost over, but the pain of losing her son won't end.

She lifts her fussy grandson from his baby walker. "My baby," she says, staring at the boy.

For a moment, she seems to forget the bloodstain beneath the baby walker.

What's next

The Childs' settlement requires approval by the City Council:

• First reading of a bill to approve the settlement will be Tuesday.

• The final council vote is set for June 7.

olveraj@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-892-5113

Copyright 2004, Rocky Mountain News. All Rights Reserved.