Timothy O’Brien was arrested five days after officers found Lauren Jensen-Green dead in Colorado Springs.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — A roommate’s report that Timothy O’Brien had spoken about killing a woman led police to a South Nevada Avenue motel, where officers found Lauren Jensen-Green’s concealed body and began a five-day search for the accused man.
The roommate’s account became the starting point for a homicide investigation that now includes an alleged confession, evidence of a possible cleanup and conflicting explanations for Jensen-Green’s death. O’Brien, 60, is charged with first-degree murder. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 13, when a judge will consider whether prosecutors have enough evidence to move the case forward.
According to arrest records, O’Brien spoke with his roommate after leaving the motel and said he had killed Jensen-Green, 65. The account he allegedly gave the roommate included a claim that she had approached him with a knife. The roommate contacted authorities, allowing officers to connect O’Brien’s remarks to a motel in the 1700 block of South Nevada Avenue. Police have not identified the roommate or disclosed exactly when the conversation occurred. They also have not said whether the report came through an emergency call, an in-person interview or another form of communication. The roommate’s description was specific enough, however, to send officers to the property on May 20. It remains unclear whether the roommate knew Jensen-Green, had previously seen her with O’Brien or learned the motel’s location directly from him. The prosecution may rely on the witness to explain how police discovered the crime and what O’Brien allegedly said before detectives questioned him.
Officers reached the motel at about 11:35 a.m. and entered a room where they found Jensen-Green dead. Her body had been placed between a bed and a nightstand. Police reported blood on the bedding, walls and floor, while arrest documents described wet rags with apparent blood in the bathroom. Investigators viewed the rags as possible evidence that someone tried to clean the room. Jensen-Green was unclothed from the waist down, but police have not announced evidence that she was sexually assaulted. The department’s homicide unit took over because of what officials called suspicious circumstances. “Upon arrival officers located a deceased female inside a motel room,” police said. The department did not immediately name her or announce an arrest. The El Paso County Coroner’s Office later identified her, and authorities classified the death as a homicide. Officials have not released the autopsy findings or specified the precise medical cause and manner beyond the blunt-force allegations described in court records.
The roommate’s account and the room evidence gave detectives a suspect, but O’Brien was not arrested at the motel. Police spent the following days looking for him while they documented the scene, interviewed witnesses and reviewed information about the motel stay. Reports do not explain where he went after leaving the property or whether officers tracked him through telephone, financial or transportation records. Five days after Jensen-Green’s body was found, patrol officers saw a man resembling O’Brien at a Maverik gas station. He initially told officers his name was “Mark,” according to arrest documents. A database check established his identity, and officers arrested him on an unrelated warrant. Police have not said whether O’Brien tried to run, resisted arrest or knew that homicide detectives were seeking him. His use of another name could become evidence for prosecutors, though the defense may dispute what the exchange shows about his state of mind.
O’Brien had bandages covering injuries to his hands and fingertips when officers took him into custody. He reportedly said he had fallen down an incline and scraped his fingers. Authorities collected DNA from him at a hospital but have not disclosed the results of testing or whether any material from the motel matched his genetic profile. During the hospital visit, O’Brien allegedly referred to the homicide without being prompted. Police say he questioned why investigators were collecting material associated with sexual-assault examinations and told them there had been no sex. He then allegedly made a statement separating conduct he said he committed from an accusation he denied. Detectives interpreted the remarks as showing knowledge of the room and the investigation. The defense could argue that the comments were misunderstood, taken out of context or made before O’Brien received proper legal warnings. Future motions may determine whether jurors can hear some or all of the statements.
During a formal interview, O’Brien allegedly abandoned the self-defense account he had given his roommate. He told a homicide detective that he and Jensen-Green met on a bus and later stayed together at the motel. He said they used methamphetamine in the room. Jensen-Green then began “ranting and raving,” according to his reported description. “I was actually just trying to lay there and enjoy my high,” O’Brien allegedly said. Investigators say he admitted becoming irritated, taking a hammer from his backpack and walking toward Jensen-Green while she was lying down. He allegedly struck her in the head several times, then covered her face with a pillow to “finish it.” Police have characterized the interview as a full confession. The publicly reported records do not say how long questioning lasted, whether it was recorded on video or when O’Brien received a Miranda warning. They also do not disclose whether he had an attorney present.
The difference between O’Brien’s two alleged accounts gives the case one of its central disputes. The statement to the roommate described Jensen-Green as holding a knife, suggesting that O’Brien claimed to be responding to danger. The account to detectives described no immediate threat and instead tied the violence to her yelling during drug use. Police have not reported finding a knife in the motel room. They also have not publicly said whether Jensen-Green had defensive injuries or whether O’Brien had wounds consistent with a struggle. Prosecutors could present the change as evidence that the first account was an attempt to excuse the killing. Defense attorneys may argue that drug use affected O’Brien’s memory, that witness testimony is incomplete or that physical evidence supports details not yet made public. A preliminary hearing does not resolve those questions beyond a reasonable doubt, but it may reveal which account prosecutors believe the evidence supports.
Investigators say O’Brien also described what he did after Jensen-Green died. He allegedly pushed her body into the gap beside the bed to keep it from being seen. The next morning, he told housekeeping not to enter because she was sleeping, according to the arrest records. “I didn’t want her discovered until it was time for checkout on the second day,” O’Brien allegedly told police. “I figured it gave me time to get away.” The statement may help prosecutors argue that the concealment was planned and that O’Brien understood the consequences of the attack. Authorities have not disclosed whether he moved any of Jensen-Green’s belongings, took property from the room or attempted to extend the reservation. No theft charge connected to Jensen-Green has been publicly announced. Motel employees may provide testimony about the reservation, checkout schedule, housekeeping contact and the condition of the room before police arrived.
Jensen-Green and O’Brien reportedly checked into the motel on May 18, two days before officers found her. O’Brien said the pair had only recently met, but officials have not independently explained the nature or length of their relationship. Police have not released surveillance images showing their arrival, and no public record has established who paid for the room. The motel stands in a commercial area south of downtown and near Interstate 25, a setting that may have allowed O’Brien to leave by foot, vehicle or public transportation. His account that he met Jensen-Green on a bus places public transit within the timeline, but authorities have not said whether they obtained bus recordings or interviewed a driver. Those details could strengthen or challenge his version of how the pair came together. Investigators have identified no second suspect and have not alleged that the roommate or any motel employee participated in the crime.
The El Paso County Coroner’s Office identified Jensen-Green after the discovery. Her family later supplied police with a photograph and said it represented how they wanted her remembered. Authorities have released little else about her life. Reports do not describe her work, home, relatives or activities before she met O’Brien. The information gap has left public discussion centered on the accused man and the disturbing details in the arrest papers. Jensen-Green’s family has not issued an extensive public statement about those allegations or the scheduled hearing. Her death became Colorado Springs’ sixth homicide of 2026, compared with 16 recorded by the same point the previous year. The lower citywide count provides statistical context but does not reduce the individual consequences of the case or determine how police and prosecutors will handle it.
O’Brien made an initial court appearance after prosecutors filed the murder charge. Reports listed his bond at $50,000 and said he remained in the El Paso County jail. Court records also connect him to a separate case involving kidnapping and aggravated robbery accusations. Those charges concern different alleged conduct and are not proof that he killed Jensen-Green. A local report found no publicly available criminal case involving O’Brien since a 1992 arson conviction in Denver. Prosecutors generally cannot use unrelated accusations simply to show that a defendant has a bad character. Any attempt to introduce evidence from another case would require legal analysis and a ruling from the judge. The motel prosecution must stand on evidence connected to Jensen-Green’s death, including the roommate’s account, the scene, forensic testing and O’Brien’s statements.
At the July 13 hearing, prosecutors may present a detective who can summarize information gathered from the roommate, motel workers and the arresting officers. The defense will have an opportunity to question the evidence and argue that the state has not established probable cause for first-degree murder. The judge could bind the case over for further proceedings, consider a different charge or address bond and scheduling matters. Later stages may include evidence exchanges, expert reports and challenges to the interrogation. No trial date has been set, and officials have not announced whether plea discussions have occurred. O’Brien has not been convicted in Jensen-Green’s death and retains the right to contest each allegation.
The case began because a roommate relayed what police describe as O’Brien’s own words. The July 13 hearing may show how that first report developed into a murder prosecution and whether the state can connect it to the evidence found inside the motel room.
Author note: Last updated July 12, 2026.