Manny Rutinel and Shannon Bird Let “Very Dangerous” Criminal Loose
A new report highlights that Democrats “Manny Rutinel and Shannon Bird cosponsored legislation that local law enforcement officials say forced them to drop charges against “a very dangerous person” accused of attempted murder, setting him free into the community.”
“Colorado Democrats have driven the state into chaos with their pro-crime agenda, allowing dangerous criminals to walk straight out of jail and back into local communities. Now, Manny Rutinel and Shannon Bird, who are responsible for the chaos, are shamelessly asking for a promotion. Rutinel and Bird can’t be trusted to keep Coloradans safe.” – NRCC Spokesman Zach Bannon
Read more from the Washington Free Beacon here or see excerpts below:
‘Created a Crisis’: Colorado Dems Seeking Swing District Cosponsored Bill That Freed ‘Very Dangerous Person’ Accused of Attempted Murder
Washington Free Beacon
Ethan Barton
June 11, 2026
Two Democrats vying to flip Colorado’s only swing district, Manny Rutinel and Shannon Bird, cosponsored legislation that local law enforcement officials say forced them to drop charges against “a very dangerous person” accused of attempted murder, setting him free into the community.
Debisa Ephraim, also known as Ephraim Debisa, was arrested on charges including attempted second-degree murder and assault in April 2025, after videos surfaced showing him knocking out men on two separate occasions. One victim bashed his head on a brick wall on the way down, while the other’s head hit the street. Ephraim pounced over both victims and continued beating their faces while they were out cold.
One victim suffered severe brain injuries and “never fully recovered,” Weld County sheriff Steve Reams told the Washington Free Beacon. He described Ephraim as “a very dangerous person” and called the attacks “unprovoked.”
Ephraim had already committed nine serious-level crimes before the April attacks, according to Reams. In January 2025, Ephraim, who was reportedly prohibited from possessing firearms, was accused of walking into a house party, pressing a pistol against someone’s ribcage, and saying, “Don’t do something you will regret. Don’t lose your life over this,” a local NBC affiliate reported. He was also arrested in 2022 following a high-speed chase that exceeded 110 mph.
But some five months after his April arrest, Ephraim was walking free thanks to a 2024 law that Rutinel and Bird cosponsored as state representatives, according to officials in Weld County, a portion of which is included in the congressional district that the Democrats are trying to win. (Bird resigned from the legislature in December to focus on her bid for the Eighth Congressional District.)
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Rutinel and Bird are opponents in a tight primary race, the winner of which will have to contend with their support for the law in the general election against incumbent Rep. Gabe Evans (R.). Evans, a former police officer, squarely blamed Democrats for Ephraim’s release and other issues with Colorado’s criminal justice system.
U.S. News & World Report ranked Colorado second among America’s most dangerous states in 2025, with a violent crime rate of 474 per 100,000.
Neither Rutinel nor Bird responded to requests for comment.
Reams said he’s “very concerned” with Rutinel and Bird’s congressional bid given that they and HB24-1034’s other supporters ignored warnings from district attorneys, sheriffs, and chiefs of police that the bill had what he called “a lot of dangers.” If the law is “repeated at a federal level, the ramifications don’t just affect Colorado, they affect a much bigger swath of the country, if not all the country,” Reams said.
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