Woman Who Dragged to Death Repossessor in 2011 Denied Parole

Colorado Springs, CO – April 30, 2020 – 32-year old Detra Dione Farries has been denied parole after serving 8 years of her 20-year sentence for her heinous dragging to death of Allen Rose, a 35-year-old Iraq War veteran, married father of two and part owner of J & J Towing on February 23, 2011 during his attempt to either repossess or tow her SUV.

Rose suffered horrific injuries when his legs became snagged in a metal cable attached to the SUV, which he was preparing to tow from an apartment complex in Colorado Springs.

Horrified eye witnesses watched helplessly and attempted to flag down the SUV as Rose was dragged, screaming, through the streets of eastern Colorado Springs, leaving a trail of blood and tattered clothing. Motorists flashed their lights and passers-by tried to flag down the driver, 32-year-old Detra Farries, but she ignored them, say police.

Colorado Springs police Officer Scott Carnes gave an emotional testimony during the trial. Carnes had contact with Rose at the scene and remembers Rose telling him not to let him die because he had kids.

Rose’s business partner at J & J Towing, John Stellabotte claimed, Farries allegedly swerved the car in an attempt to dislodge Mr Rose. Stellabotte said: ‘She shook her wheel from side to side to shake him off, and sped up. She definitely, in my eyes, was aware of what she was doing. I didn’t just lose a partner, I lost my best friend.’

Officers found the bloody trail and tattered clothing stretching along the road. Mr Rose died in hospital from multiple injuries and ‘blunt force trauma.’ Police said, Farries did not stop after his body came loose. She was arrested hours later at her home. Her car, a black GMC, was taken away for examination. And the mother-of-three was held on a $50,000 bond at El Paso County jail facing manslaughter charges.

There are conflicting reports on why the vehicle was being towed. Reggie Lawson, the apartment assistant manager, said a car dealer had been seeking to repossess the vehicle for non-payment for the past four months, which he learned a day after the tragedy. Reporters were unable to confirm this with a representative of the auto dealer. Apartment complex manager Kathryn Shelton reported that Farries’ car had been illegally parked for over a month and did not have any license plates.

Rose’s Tow Truck Funeral Procession in 2011

They claim Mr Rose, whose children are 12 and 13-years-old, was hooking the tow cable to the car when Farries jumped in and drove off. He ran J & J Towing with his business partner John Stellabotte. He claimed Farries allegedly swerved the car in an attempt to dislodge Mr Rose.

Friends of the victim have called for Farries, who is studying to be a social worker, to face a murder charge. Her ex-husband Demetris Mills, is serving a four-year prison sentence for a hit-and- run in which a 51-year-old woman was killed in 2009. The driver’s identity was unknown for two months, and when police arrested Farries, they found his van locked in a garage with a new grille. His wife gave evidence at his trial and said he had made a simple mistake. She later filed for divorce. A man who says he is the cousin of the driver, Bruce Knight, told KKTV-TV Farries did not know she was dragging Rose behind her.

Farries, was convicted of manslaughter, vehicular homicide, leaving the scene of an accident, and other charges connected in Rose’s death. The trial lasted 19 days and Farries appeared unrepentant at the reading of her verdict, appearing wearing a t-shirt reading ‘Only God Can Judge Me’.

The DA’s office responded to Farries’ request to reduce her sentence with their own motion that claims that throughout the trial Farries blamed others for what happened. The motion reads, “Only, now, when [Farries] is asking for leniency, she claims to be truly sorry.”

For years, Farries has requested to be released from prison and be placed in a half-way house and has repeatedly been denied. She will be eligible to request parole again in one year.