A judge denied the pretrial release of a Colorado woman charged with drug-induced homicide in Shorewood after the victim’s family spoke out against her being let out of jail.

On Wednesday, Will County Judge Sarah Jones ruled the pretrial release of Briana Trumbo, 34, of Thornton, Colorado, posed a threat to the community and no conditions could mitigate the risk of that threat.

Trumbo is charged with the Sept. 16, 2023 drug-induced homicide of Trent “T.D.” Veleker, 24, of Shorewood.

It’s “unclear” what the relationship was between Trumbo and Veleker but they may have been part of the same “friend group,” said James Zanayed, an assistant state’s attorney.

Trumbo was homeless in Colorado and she decided in 2023 to reside with a cousin in Will County, said Samantha Kerins, Trumbo’s public defender.

Trumbo became homeless again and moved back to Colorado, where she was the caregiver of an elderly man before her arrest in the drug-induced homicide case filed last February, Kerins said.

She said Trumbo “barely knew” Veleker but there were text messages indicating he talked about “how beautiful she is.”

Veleker’s mother, Rachel Veleker, told Jones on Wednesday that her family has been devastated by her son’s death.

She said Trumbo struggles with drug addiction and she is worried if Trumbo was released, she could relapse and cause more danger to the community like what happened to her son.

She also had concerns about Trumbo going back to Colorado on pretrial release.

Tamara Villegas, the mother of Veleker’s daughters, said the day Veleker died was the “worst day of my life.”

“My daughters have nightmares every single day,” she said.

She said it hurts her every day to see her daughters go to school without their father.

“He loved them so much. It really hurts that he is not here with us,” Villegas said.

Villagas said she feels Trumbo has “zero remorse” based on her Will County jail photo showing her smiling. She said Trumbo does not care about anyone other than herself.

“She is a selfish human being,” Villegas said.

Zanayed said Veleker thought he was purchasing heroin from Trumbo in 2023 but the substance that killed him was actually fentanyl.

He said in Trumbo’s police interview, she allegedly admitted to bringing the drugs to him.

Zanayed said Trumbo has shown how careless she is to the community when she was charged with driving under the influence in Colorado a year after Veleker’s death.

He said there are no conditions to mitigate Trumbo’s danger to the community or herself if she were released from jail.

“You can’t stop her from using. You can’t stop her from selling,” Zanayed told Jones.

He argued the “logistics” of allowing Trumbo to go back to Colorado on pretrial release would be “untenable.”

Kerins argued Trumbo posed no danger to the community because she has “limited” criminal history and a stable residence in Colorado.

Kerins said Veleker was not a “novice” drug user and he had reached out to Trumbo for drugs. She said the police found multiple syringes, pill bottles and nitrous oxide cartridges in Veleker’s room.

“We don’t know that [Trumbo] actually gave him the drugs that caused his death,” Kerins said.