Mile High Murder No. 70: Man found shot to death in SUV at Cottonwood Trail Apartment complex in Aurora

Early Wednesday, a man was found dead at the Cottonwood Trail Apartments, near the intersection of East Virginia and South Hampden in Aurora. At this writing, the Aurora Police Department hasn't issued a release on the incident, but APD spokesman Lt. Sam McGhee provides details. "At about 7:30 a.m. yesterday...

By Michael Roberts

January 14, 2010

We’re $400 away from our summer campaign goal,
with just 1 day left!

We’re ready to deliver—but we need the resources to do it right. If Westword matters to you, please take action and contribute today to help us expand our current events coverage when it’s needed most.

Contribute Now

Progress to goal

$17,000

$16,600

Audio By Carbonatix

[
          {
            "name": "GPT - Billboard - Slot Inline - Content - Labeled - No Desktop",
            "component": "23668565",
            "insertPoint": "2",
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
          },{
            "name": "STN Player - Float - Mobile Only ",
            "component": "23853568",
            "insertPoint": "2",
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
          },{
            "name": "Editor Picks",
            "component": "17242653",
            "insertPoint": "4",
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
          },{
            "name": "Inline Links",
            "component": "18838239",
            "insertPoint": "8th",
            "startingPoint": 8,
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
            "maxInsertions": 25
          },{
            "name": "GPT - 2x Rectangles Desktop, Tower on Mobile - Labeled",
            "component": "24956856",
            "insertPoint": "8th",
            "startingPoint": 8,
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
            "maxInsertions": 25 
          
          },{
            "name": "Inline Links",
            "component": "18838239",
            "insertPoint": "8th",
            "startingPoint": 12,
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
            "maxInsertions": 25
          },{
            "name": "GPT - Leaderboard to Tower - Slot Auto-select - Labeled",
            "component": "17676724",
            "insertPoint": "8th",
            "startingPoint": 12,
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
            "maxInsertions": 25
          }
        ]

Early Wednesday, a man was found dead at the Cottonwood Trail Apartments, near the intersection of East Virginia and South Hampden in Aurora. At this writing, the Aurora Police Department hasn't issued a release on the incident, but APD spokesman Lt. Sam McGhee provides details.

"At about 7:30 a.m. yesterday morning, the call came in from a witness reporting that a male was in a white SUV in a parking lot of the apartments," McGhee says. "It appeared that he had been shot."

No identification of the victim as of yet, nor details about whether he was a resident of the apartment complex or hailed from elsewhere. But McGhee confirms that the APD suspects foul play may have been involved, as opposed to the man having committed suicide. In his words, "We are investigating this as a homicide."

Look for more information as it becomes available.

Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

A message from Michael Roberts: If you value independent journalism, please consider making a contribution to support our continued coverage of essential stories and to investigate issues that matter.

Support Today