Even the most patient person, if repeatedly pushed to the brink, will snap. How they snap varies from person to person. Sometimes it's a quiet rebellion, and other times it's violent.
In Colorado, the uncle of a 12-year-old boy body slammed the attorney defending his nephew's killer. Daniel Ashby, 36, was charged with second-degree assault for slamming H. Michael Steinberg in the Arapahoe County Courthouse. Ashby used so much force that he fractured Steinberg's spine and pelvis.
Grieving Colorado uncle body-slams lawyer of nephew’s suspected killer outside courtroom, fracturing his spine https://t.co/lTkDLgGfLz pic.twitter.com/tEfr349Igw
— New York Post (@nypost) December 12, 2025
Ashby was attending a court hearing for 19-year-old Christopher Ramirez-Rodriguez, who is accused of running a red light and killing Ashby’s 12-year-old nephew in July.
Steinberg was representing Ramirez-Rodriguez when Ashby allegedly “aggressively approached” him in the hallway outside the courtroom while trying “to see the defendant,” according to an arrest record obtained by the outlet.
Police said Steinberg pushed Ashby back to create space, after which Ashby allegedly carried out an “MMA-style takedown,” which left the longtime lawyer unconscious.
Steinberg — who has frequently appeared as a guest on CNN and Fox News — was rushed to a local hospital, where he was treated for multiple spinal fractures.
In an email sent Tuesday, Steinberg told CBS Colorado he also suffered a “shattered pelvis,” was in “serious pain,” and is scheduled to undergo surgery Thursday.
Emotions run high in times like that. I couldn't imagine losing my nephew to a senseless, tragic crime. Authorities say Christopher Ramirez-Rodriguez, who is accused of running a red light and striking Ashby's nephew, was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the crash. Still, they did say distracted driving was a contributing factor in the accident.
Ashby’s older brother, Michael Ashby, is the father of the boy killed. He told the media that "emotions were running high."
"The whole family is frustrated with the legal system," Michael Ashby said.
And there's the problem. Interacting with the legal system, whether as a plaintiff, defendant, or a victim is never easy. Add to it the death of a child, and its infinitely harder.
But certain political parties have gone out of their way to break the legal system beyond all repair. In Arapahoe, the DA is the same who released a trans kidnapper.
She's the one who charged Ramirez-Rodriguez with careless driving resulting in death. That carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison.
His 12 year old nephew gets deleted by Mr. Ramirez-Rodriguez blowing through a red light.
— Oilfield Rando (@Oilfield_Rando) December 12, 2025
Wokelady DA who released trans kidnapper charges careless driving resulting in death, max penalty of 1 year prison.
Defense attorney Mr. Steinberg will probably get it down to probation. https://t.co/QBgU4y5pz8 pic.twitter.com/8erhvnZxrn
What Ashby did was explicable but not excusable. Ramirez-Rodriguez is entitled to a defense.
But the Ashby family is entitled to justice, just like all families and victims. Democrats seek to deny them that, however. Daniel Ashby snapped; he snapped at the injustice of the system — and he won't be the last.
And I am willing to bet Daniel Ashby gets a longer prison sentence than the guy who killed his nephew.
If we want to stop this kind of vigilante justice, we need to make sure the actual justice system does his job.
