Now, the APD has arrested three men -- Steven Bassett, Robert Harper and Maliek Bailey -- in connection with the crime. Mug shots and details below.
Unfortunately, arrest affidavits related to the trio have been sealed, as noted in the release on view following their booking photos:
Aurora Police Department releases:Three Arrested in Connection with Homicide InvestigationAurora, Colo. -- Aurora Police are announcing the arrests of three individuals in connection with the discovery of a man's body on October 15, 2010, at a hotel in the 14000 block of E. Evans Avenue in Aurora
Arrested were:
• Steven Bassett, 27, of Denver
• Robert Harper, 18, of Denver
• Maliek Bailey, 35, of Denver
These individuals are being held without bond in the Arapahoe County Detention Center on the following charges:
• Murder in the 1st Degree
• Robbery
• Kidnapping
Arrest affidavits for the aforementioned individuals have been sealed by the court. However, detectives have released their arrest photos.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to call Major Crimes Unit Detective Robert Wilson at (303)739-6106.
Information Previously Released by Detective Shannon Lucy on 10/18/2010
The Aurora Police Department is releasing the name of the victim of the homicide that occurred on Friday night, October 15th, at 14090 East Evans Avenue.
The victim has been identified as fifty-one year old Michael Pinkus. He was the owner of the residence that was burglarized in the 14200 block of East Baltic Circle the same evening. Major Crimes/Homicide investigators identified the male arrested Friday night in connection with the burglary as twenty-seven year old Steven Wayne Bassett. He is being held with no bond at the Arapahoe County Detention Facility on charges of First Degree Murder, Second Degree Kidnapping, Second Degree Burglary, and Aggravated Robbery.
Page down to read our original coverage of this crime, including photos from the scene and an interactive graphic:
Update, October 19, 7:55 a.m.: The victim of a Friday homicide at Aurora's Crestwood Suites has been identified as Michael Pinkus, 51. He owned a residence that was burglarized on East Baltic Circle -- the crime that led police to discovery his body. Also ID'd is a man accused of taking part in the burglary, the presumed kidnapping of Pinkus, and his murder: Steven Wayne Bassett, 27.Here's the latest Aurora Police Department release about the crime, followed immediately by our original post about the incident, complete with photos of the scene:
The Aurora Police Department is releasing the name of the victim of the homicide that occurred on Friday night, October 15th, at 14090 East Evans Avenue.The victim has been identified as fifty-one year old Michael Pinkus. He was the owner of the residence that was burglarized in the 14200 block of East Baltic Circle the same evening.
Major Crimes/Homicide investigators identified the male arrested Friday night in connection with the burglary as twenty-seven year old Steven Wayne Bassett. He is being held with no bond at the Arapahoe County Detention Facility on charges of First Degree Murder, Second Degree Kidnapping, Second Degree Burglary, and Aggravated Robbery.
There is no further information available reference the second suspect in the burglary case.
Anyone with information on this case is asked to call Detective Robert Wilson at 303.739.6106.
Original item, published October 18:
On late Friday night, Aurora Police were searching for two suspects in a burglary on East Baltic Circle.
Shortly thereafter, officers found a person matching one description at the Crestwood Suites on East Evans, along with something else -- the traumatized body of a white male whose death is being investigated as a homicide.
At this point, the APD has yet to release the name of either the suspect arrested or the dead man. In the meantime, a search continues for another suspect in the burglary that set this chain of events in motion -- an African-American male who was wearing dark clothing at the time of the alleged crime, according to APD spokeswoman Detective Shannon Youngquist Lucy.Page down to see another photo from near the crime scene, also supplied by the APD, as well as the department's latest release and an interactive graphic showing the area near the burglary scene; if you have problems seeing the image, click "View Larger Map."
Aurora Police Department release:Aurora Police Department patrol officers discovered the body of an adult male around 10:45 p.m. on Friday, October 15, 2010 at the Crestwood Suites Hotel at 14090 East Evans Avenue while investigating a residential burglary that happened a short time earlier nearby.At approximately 9:45 p.m., officers responded to a residence in the 14200 block of East Baltic Circle on report of a burglary. The victims of the burglary told officers that one Black male and one Hispanic male entered the home through an unlocked front door and stole various items before fleeing on foot.
The victims were able to provide a description of the Hispanic suspect.
Approximately 45 minutes later, Patrol saw a male in the parking lot of the Crestwood Suites Hotel matching the description of the Hispanic burglary suspect. They contacted and arrested him on charges related to the burglary on East Baltic Circle.
In the course of the follow-up investigation, officers found a deceased adult White male in a room at the Crestwood that was associated with the suspect in custody. The victim had suffered trauma to his upper body and was declared dead at the scene.
Major Crimes/Homicide detectives responded and are in the early stages of the investigation.
The identity of the suspect taken into custody on burglary charges is not being released at this time.
Anyone with information is asked to call Det. Robert Wilson at 303.739.6106.
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More from our Mile High Murder archive: "Murder-suicide at 777 N. Washington Street? Denver Police investigating as homicide (No. 25)."
