Denver's first decade as an official city was rough and saw mayhem and murder during the initial years that there was no, or little, established law. Within one year the murder rate grew from 3 murders per year to dozens in a population that lingered around 1000. Jim Gordon's drunken and brutal murder of John Gantz in the streets in plain view of everyone out for a stroll was the last straw for the citizens of Denver who feared for their lives on a daily basis. By the time Gordon was apprehended, everyone wanted a piece of him and his trial would become a landmark in Denver's criminal justice history.