Weld County District Attorney Michael Rourke said it would have taken a change in state law to prevent the release of an inmate identified as dangerous by law enforcement who caught the attention of Elon Musk and Gov. Jared Polis.

In a Wednesday afternoon news conference, Rourke detailed how he could not legally continue to detain 21-year-old Debisa Ephrain, who was found incompetent to stand trial and likely could not be restored to competency. Rourke said a Colorado House bill passed in 2024 required them to dismiss the cases.

Ephrain was charged in two separate felony cases in Weld County. In one, he was arrested on charges of first-degree assault causing significant bodily injury and second-degree attempted homicide. In the other, he was charged with first-degree burglary and felony

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