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Murder/ Suicide:
On July 24, 2008, members of the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office responded on a report of a possible murder/ suicide in the
Bennett area of unincorporated Arapahoe County. Once on scene, members of Patrol Services rendered aid to the surviving victims
and initially determined that an adult male had shot his wife and two of his three children before shooting and killing himself.
Once notified, members of Investigations Services responded in two teams to continue the investigation.
The first team, which consisted of investigators, criminalists, evidence technicians, and victim assistants, responded directly
to the crime scene. Combining the preliminary information provided by Patrol Services and witness interviews with a thorough
analysis of the crime scene, the focus of the first team was to determine the course of events and rule out the possibility
of alternate explanations. The first team was able to positively identify the suspect as an escapee from the Federal Bureau
of Prisons, whose whereabouts had been unknown for several days prior.
The second team, also consisting of investigators and a criminalist, responded to ACSO headquarters to further the investigation
from a background perspective. Working with information supplied by the first team, the focus of the second team was to locate
as much information as possible about the suspect and victims, including personal, financial, and criminal histories, known
associates and family members. This background investigation is of utmost importance in locating any other possible victims
or accomplices. Based on the second team’s findings, a timeline was established detailing the suspect’s movements and activities
for the four days that followed his escape and preceded the murder/ suicide.
Residential Burglary:
On August 25, 2008, Patrol Services responded to a burglary in progress in the Ridgeview Hills South subdivision in the City
of Centennial. Although the victim homeowner was not present, an observant and quick-thinking citizen noticed a suspicious
vehicle that had been driving through the neighborhood and began taking digital photographs. The citizen then called 911 to
report that one of the two men had just entered the neighbor’s home. Noticing that the citizen was in the distance taking
pictures, the suspects became nervous and fled the scene prior to deputies’ arrival.
Although the crime was interrupted and the suspects were not located, Patrol Services deputies were able to gather detailed
suspect descriptions, physical evidence, and excellent quality photographs of the suspect and suspect vehicle. Capitalizing
on the leads provided by the witness and photographs, a bulletin was created depicting the vehicle and suspect to be disseminated
to other metro-area agencies and various news outlets. Once the suspects have been identified, a case can then be built using
other available evidence and Investigative techniques.
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