Office Leadership
Denver District Attorney
John Walsh
John Walsh was sworn in as Denver’s District Attorney on January 14, 2025. John grew up in the Denver area and has spent his entire career in law and public service. As the U.S. Attorney for Colorado under President Barack Obama from 2010-2016, John led efforts on gun violence prevention, federal sentencing reform, and community outreach with Colorado’s diverse populations, along with national efforts to combat the misconduct by large banks that led to the 2008 Financial Crisis. He also co-founded nonprofits such as Invest in Kids and continues to champion civil rights, equity, and justice across Colorado. A fluent Spanish speaker, John co-founded the Colorado Bar Association’s Spanish-Speaking Lawyers Committee and serves on the board of Escuela de Guadalupe in Denver, a dual-language school. He has also built strong relationships with Colorado’s Black, Latino, Muslim, and tribal communities, working to address the many critical issues that affect them. Prior to being elected Denver’s DA, John was a partner at the law firm WilmerHale in Denver. In 2023, he was named Attorney of the Year by Law Week Colorado.
First Assistant District Attorney
Matthew Kirsch
Matthew (Matt) T. Kirsch is the First Assistant District Attorney with the Denver District Attorney’s Office. Most recently he served as the interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado. Matt is a career prosecutor who became an Assistant U.S. Attorney in 1999. He has prosecuted hundreds of cases charging a variety of federal crimes. Before becoming the U.S. Attorney, Matt held multiple leadership positions in the office, including First Assistant U.S. Attorney, Criminal Division Chief, and Economic Crimes Section Chief. He was heavily involved in the U.S. Attorney’s office’s local community outreach. Matt received his undergraduate degree from Harvard College and his law degree from Duke University. Before becoming an Assistant U.S. Attorney, he clerked for the Honorable N.C. Tilley, Jr. in the Middle District of North Carolina and then worked briefly at an international law firm’s Denver office. When he is not in the office, he is usually enjoying Colorado’s mountains and rivers with his family and friends.
Assistant District Attorney
Darryl F. Shockley
Darryl F. Shockley is the Assistant District Attorney to John Walsh. Prior to this position he served on the Second Judicial District Court Bench since 2019. Before his appointment to the bench, Shockley served as a Chief Deputy District Attorney in the Denver DA’s Office where he worked in the Economic Crimes, Family Violence, and Gang Units. He was a prosecutor for 14 years and spent many of those years focusing on white collar crimes including: computer crimes, embezzlement, identity theft, securities fraud, and organized crime. Before becoming a DA, Shockley was a civil litigator with White and Steele. He earned B.A.’s in Political Science and English Literature from the University of Missouri, and his law degree from the University of Missouri School of Law. He was born and raised in Kansas City, MO, has lived in Denver since 2002, and is married to a Denver native.
Assistant District Attorney
Lara Mullin
Lara Mullin is an Assistant District Attorney at the Denver DA’s office. She holds a J.D. from the University of Denver's Sturm College of Law and has served as a Prosecutor for 17 years, focusing on cases involving homicides, human trafficking, child abuse, and sexual assault. Lara was key in establishing the Human Trafficking Unit, which she led until 2023. She trains nationally on human trafficking indicators, helps develop response protocols for Denver’s medical and sheriff’s departments, and consults for NW3C. Additionally, she is an Adjunct Professor at Sturm College of Law.
Senior Chief District Attorney for District Courts
Zach McCabe
Zach McCabe is the Senior Chief District Attorney for District Courts. Since joining the office in 2005, he has served in the Family Violence, Cold Case, Organized Crime, and Economic Crime Units. He has tried murder, manslaughter, sexual assault, cold cases, child sexual abuse, domestic violence, illegal firearm, gang-motivated shooting, and drug distribution cases. ADA McCabe earned his law degree from the University of Denver.
Chief of Staff
Liza C. Willis
Liza C. Willis serves as the chief of staff for the office. In 1988, she joined the office as a victim advocate and rose through positions of increasing importance under several elected district attorneys. Prior to being named chief of staff, she served as senior chief deputy district attorney/legal administrator, chief of District Court, and deputy district attorney with the office’s Appellate, District and Juvenile Units and Drug Court. While working full-time, she earned her J.D. and law degree from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law.
Chief Deputy of the Denver DA’s Appellate Division
Robert M. Russel
Robert M. Russel is chief deputy of the Denver DA’s Appellate Division. Prior to joining the DA’s Office, Mr. Russel was a judge on the Colorado Court of Appeals. He has served on committees that advise the Colorado Supreme Court on the Rules of Evidence, Rules of Criminal Procedure, Rules of Appellate Procedure, and Criminal Jury Instructions. He also headed the Appellate Divisions of both the United States Attorney’s Office and the Colorado Attorney General’s Office. He was a Supreme Court Fellow with the National Association of Attorneys General. Mr. Russel is a graduate of the University of Colorado Law School.
Find My Courtroom or Case
Denver District Attorney
370 17th Street
Suite 5300
Denver, Colorado 80202
Main phone number: 720-913-9000
Linea en Espanol-Fiscal de Distrito:
720-913-9020
Email address: info@denverda.org
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