Alleged Painting Slasher at Aspen Gallery Denies Doing It
- May 06, 2018 18:28
The British man accused by police of slashing a $3 million painting at an Aspen art gallery last year says he didn't do it.
Nick Morley, 40, is named by police and prosecutors as the man dressed in black who walked in and cut the Christopher Wool artwork at Opera Gallery in May 2017.
Morley had traveled from the UK to Denver under an assumed name during the time of the incident. However, records show that the mileage on the car Morley rented did not correspond to a trip to Aspen, according to court documents.
"Regarding the painting, I did not cause the damage," Nick Morley said in a statement. "I was the beneficial owner of the painting at the time.
"Any suggestion that I damaged my own property is based on speculation and circumstantial evidence. At no time have I sought to claim any financial benefit from the damage to the painting and simply wanted to privately deal with the matter."
Morley is charged with felony criminal mischief and faces between 12 and 18 months in prison if convicted of the crime. He lives in London.
![Offering a Truce [Bested], 1895, is estimated to sell for between $1,300,000 and $1,800,000 on March 22, 2014, for The Russell: An Exhibition and Sale to Benefit the C.M. Russell Museum.](/images/c/a8/20/Dec10_Offering_a_Truce__Bested_300dpi100x100_c.jpg "Offering a Truce [Bested], 1895, is estimated to sell for between $1,300,000 and $1,800,000 on March 22, 2014, for The Russell: An Exhibition and Sale to Benefit the C.M. Russell Museum.")
