Our data comes from a remarkable project recently completed by the Washington Post. An investigative team at the newspaper spent two years compiling facts and figures related to 52,175 homicides in fifty U.S. cities. Included among them was Denver, which scored slightly below the national average. According to the Post, approximately 51 percent of the homicides the paper analyzed did not result in an arrest. In Denver during the time span studied by the Post, that number was more than 53 percent.
The Post's reporters weren't flawless. They categorized 169 of the 312 Denver homicides as either "open/no arrest" or "closed without arrest," but at least one of the former was incorrectly sorted: the January 31, 2017, murder of security guard Scott Van Lanken near Union Station. In January, Joshua Cummings was sentenced to life without parole for the slaying.
The demographic breakdown of the remaining 168 arrest-free Denver homicide victims: 67 were black, 56 Hispanic, 42 white, one Asian and two others listed as "other." Of the incidents themselves, 122 are still open.
What are some of the reasons the remaining 46 homicides were marked "closed without arrest"? We asked the folks at the Denver Police Department records division about five of the cases, chosen at random, and all of them were declined for prosecution by the district attorney at the time, Mitch Morrissey. The notes for each are below:
Anthony Howard-Crosthwait, killed January 1, 2010: "Case was refused by the DA — no likelihood of conviction. Couple arguing, victim took swing at suspect, who blocked swing and hit victim in neck."As for the "open/no arrest" cases, not all of them remain a mystery. Take the murder of Nathan Leon in March 2013. His killer, Evan Ebel, was never arrested because he was killed during a shootout with police.
Theodorick Brown, killed October 19, 2014: "Case was refused by the DA — no likelihood of conviction. Victim got into physical fight. Autopsy found death due to cardiovascular disease combined with drug intoxication and stress due to the physical altercation."
Herbert Packard, Killed October 29, 2011: "Case was refused by the DA — no likelihood of conviction. Elderly suspect suffering from severe brain injury at rehab hospital pushed elderly victim in attempt to [get] him out of his room. Victim died of complications weeks later."
Travis Sanders, killed September 22, 2015: "Case was refused by the DA, as it was determined that the victim was shooting simultaneously with the suspect."
Zachariah Chavez, killed November 17, 2016: "Case was refused by the DA — no likelihood of conviction. Self-defense and Make My Day."
Of the other homicides among the aforementioned 168, there are plenty of bitter ironies. In the first few months of 2015, two men named Abdul Muhammad were murdered in Denver, and neither case has been solved. And then there's the terrible day of March 15, 2015, when four homicides took place in the Mile High City. Three of them are still open, and one was closed without an arrest.
Here's the list of the Denver homicides for which no one was arrested from the start of 2010 to early 2017.
January 1, 2010
Anthony Howard-Crosthwait
White
Male
38
Closed without arrest
January 11, 2010
DeShon Lee
Black
Male
19
Open/no arrest
Lonell Franklin
Black
Male
21
Open/no arrest
March 25, 2010
Rose Westendorf
White
Female
30
Closed without arrest
March 26, 2010
Max Olguin
Hispanic
Male
19
Closed without arrest
June 13, 2010
Leroy Oliver
Black
Male
73
Closed without arrest
July 12, 2010
Katsina Roybal
Black
Female
21
Open/no arrest
July 13, 2010
Jonathan Frost
White
Male
40
Open/no arrest
July 25, 2010
Joey Baca
Hispanic
Male
39
Closed without arrest
September 18, 2010
Carlos Limones-Limones
Hispanic
Male
30
Open/no arrest
October 13, 2010
Gary Cler
White
Male
55
Closed without arrest
October 17, 2010
Santiago Gutierrez-Hernandez
White
Male
26
Open/no arrest
October 26, 2010
Danny Craig
White
Male
49
Open/no arrest
October 27, 2010
Paul Cortez
Black
Male
21
Open/no arrest
November 9, 2010
Ronald Sanchez
Hispanic
Male
45
Open/no arrest
November 11, 2010
Juan Nevarez
Hispanic
Male
40
Open/no arrest
December 18, 2010
Caesar Barela
Hispanic
Male
41
Open/no arrest
December 20, 2010
Aderagaw Teklehaimanot
Black
Male
48
Open/no arrest
December 22, 2010
Jordan Nelson
Black
Male
21
Open/no arrest
Dontai Carter
Black
Male
20
Open/no arrest
January 22, 2011
Quentin Smith
Black
Male
21
Open/no arrest
Marvin Smith
Black
Male
33
Open/no arrest
March 12, 2011
Jacob Louver
White
Male
21
Open/no arrest
March 23, 2011
Amara Sayon
Black
Male
22
Closed without arrest
Cherise Houston
Black
Female
24
Closed without arrest
April 22, 2011
Heather Pierce
White
Female
33
Open/no arrest
May 17, 2011
Denise Fransua
Other
Female
44
Closed without arrest
May 29, 2018
Richard McDaniel
Black
Male
40
Open/no arrest
July 4, 2011
Dominik Johnson
Black
Male
28
Open/no arrest
August 7, 2011
Byron Parker
Black
Male
29
Open/no arrest
Donald Hubbard
Black
Male
52
Open/no arrest
August 11, 2011
Manuel Rojas
Hispanic
Male
24
Open/no arrest
September 17, 2011
Katrishay Quarles
Black
Female
18
Closed without arrest
September 18, 2011
Deshone Marquez-Jones
Black
Male
27
Open/no arrest
October 3, 2011
Alonzo Bencomo
Hispanic
Male
34
Open/no arrest
October 23, 2011
Pamela Legg
White
Female
64
Closed without arrest
October 29, 2011
Herbert Packard
White
Male
79
Closed without arrest
November 12, 2011
Elia Agapito-Anastacio
Hispanic
Female
39
Open/no arrest
January 1, 2012
Stephanie Hope
White
Female
38
Closed without arrest
February 14, 2012
Serril Allen
Black
Male
19
Open/no arrest
February 15, 2012
Justin Martinez
Hispanic
Male
24
Closed without arrest
March 9, 2012
Leroy Wright
Black
Male
55
Open/no arrest
March 23, 2012
Isaiah Garcia
Hispanic
Male
19
Open/no arrest
April 1, 2012
Jimma Reat
Black
Male
25
Open/no arrest
April 3, 2012
Toby Morine
White
Male
7
Closed without arrest
April 16, 2012
Pablo Del Rio
Hispanic
Male
22
Open/no arrest
April 27, 2012
Bertha Lopez
Hispanic
Female
43
Open/no arrest
May 9, 2012
James Dishmon
Black
Male
24
Open/no arrest
May 26, 2012
Richard Nack
White
Male
59
Open/no arrest
August 23, 2012
Israel Hernandez
Hispanic
Male
30
Closed without arrest
October 3, 2012
Matthew Gianopoulos
White
Male
21
Open/no arrest
October 16, 2012
Miguel Medrano
Hispanic
Male
29
Open/no arrest
October 17, 2012
Koan Yarter
White
Male
Less than 1
Open/no arrest
November 2, 2012
Ryan Haldeman
White
Male
28
Open/no arrest
December 15, 2012
Demetrius Cruz
Hispanic
Male
15
Open/no arrest
January 24, 2013
Deborah Hubbard
Black
Female
58
Closed without arrest
February 6, 2013
Nevaeh Morales
Hispanic
Female
4
Closed without arrest
February 6, 2013
Erick Perez
Hispanic
Male
1
Closed without arrest
February 7, 2013
Alan Cardenas
White
Male
33
Closed without arrest
March 17, 2013
Nathan Leon
Hispanic
Male
27
Closed without arrest
March 27, 2013
Michael Chavez
Hispanic
Male
41
Open/no arrest
April 27, 2013
Daniel Lovato
Hispanic
Male
39
Open/no arrest
June 1, 2013
Blanca Hernandez-Diaz
Hispanic
Female
28
Open/no arrest
June 22, 2013
Gabriel Scott
Black
Male
22
Open/no arrest
July 2, 2013
Amber Moore
White
Female
28
Closed without arrest
July 7, 2013
Charles McLaughlin
White
Male
29
Closed without arrest
July 13, 2013
Shaquille Hargrove
Black
Male
19
Open/no arrest
July 26, 2013
Joseph Strock
White
Male
42
Open/no arrest
August 23, 2013
Harry Morgan
Black
Male
26
Open/no arrest
September 1, 2013
Jose Gutierrez-Peredia
Hispanic
Male
25
Open/no arrest
September 18, 2013
Clint Burtts
White
Male
52
Open/no arrest
September 29, 2013
Luis Adame-Luevanos
Hispanic
Male
19
Open/no arrest
October 15, 2013
Lamar Mathis
Black
Male
41
Open/no arrest
October 21, 2013
Isaac Montoya
Hispanic
Male
23
Open/no arrest
November 14, 2013
George Jackson
Black
Male
62
Open/no arrest
December 2, 2013
Steven Jones
Black
Male
44
Open/no arrest
December 26, 2013
Alexander Tower
White
Male
37
Open/no arrest
Francisco Gutierrez
Hispanic
Male
39
Open/no arrest
January 12, 2014
Jose Diaz
Hispanic
Male
67
Open/no arrest
January 23, 2014
Taunya Carlino
White
Female
46
Closed without arrest
March 1, 2014
Richard Sims
Black
Male
31
Open/no arrest
Dontai Carter
Black
Male
23
Open.no arrest
March 17, 2014
Andre Thompason
White
Male
57
Open/no arrest
March 18, 2014
Dwayne Kelly
Hispanic
Male
52
Closed without arrest
May 31, 2014
Pedro Padilla
Hispanic
Male
53
Open/no arrest
June 18, 2014
Alexander Duran
Hispanic
Male
50
Open/no arrest
June 28, 2014
Dwight Blackmon
Black
Male
31
Closed without arrest
July 17, 2014
Christi Martinez
Hispanic
Female
37
Open/no arrest
August 10, 2014
Eliel Olguin
Hispanic
Male
17
Open/no arrest
August 15, 2014
Daniel Ussery
White
Male
57
Open/no arrest
August 24, 2014
Phillip Lucero
Hispanic
Male
48
Open/no arrest
August 29, 2014
Christopher Peacock
White
Male
41
Closed without arrest
August 1, 2014
Dondie Thomas
Black
Male
49
Open/no arrest
October 9, 2014
James Boles
Hispanic
Male
29
Open/no arrest
October 19, 2014
Theodorick Brown
Black
Male
45
Closed without arrest
November 23, 2014
Kevie Durham
Black
Male
24
Open/no arrest
November 25, 2014
Michael Milton
Black
Male
27
Open/no arrest
December 31, 2014
Toshio Gilmore
Other
Male
33
Open/no arrest
January 4, 2015
Daerius Churchill
Black
Male
22
Open/no arrest
January 16, 2015
Abdul Muhammad
Black
Male
22
Open/no arrest
February 15, 2015
Marlow Martin
Black
Male
27
Open/no arrest
March 15, 2015
DeAnthony Williams
Black
Male
30
Open/no arrest
Tyrael Adams
Black
Male
28
Open/no arrest
Jeffrey Starks
Black
Male
27
Open/no arrest
David Edwards
Black
Male
53
Closed without arrest
March 25, 2015
Rachel Aboytes
Hispanic
Female
21
Open/no arrest
April 11, 2015
Abdul Muhammad
Black
Male
61
Open/no arrest
April 25, 2014
Nolan Ware
Black
Male
22
Open/no arrest
April 28, 2015
Dominique Perez
Hispanic
Male
26
Open/no arrest
May 3, 2015
Armando Uribe-Rodriguez
White
Male
34
Open/no arrest
July 1, 2015
Harry McCabe
Hispanic
Male
24
Open/no arrest
July 19, 2015
Carlos Ruiz-Reyes
Hispanic
Male
22
Open/no arrest
July 29, 2015
Eric Walker
Black
Male
46
Open/no arrest
July 31, 2015
Jorge Lopez-Ramirez
Hispanic
Male
17
Open/no arrest
August 12, 2015
Derrick Wilford
Black
Male
36
Open/no arrest
August 15, 2015
Jose Frias-Olivas
Hispanic
Male
61
Open/no arrest
August 17, 2015
Judith Katchen
White
Female
78
Open/no arrest
August 28, 2015
Tracy Winn
Black
Male
48
Closed without arrest
September 22, 2015
Travis Sanders
Black
Male
34
Closed without arrest
Sergio Evelyn-Moe
Black
Male
28
Closed without arrest
October 10, 2015
Dareon Tarbor
Black
Male
30
Open/no arrest
October 31, 2015
Jacob Wiens
White
Male
24
Closed without arrest
November 6, 2015
Christopher Nelson
White
Male
32
Closed without arrest
Christian Martinez
Hispanic
Male
21
Open/no arrest
November 11, 2015
Michael Marshall
Black
Male
50
Closed without arrest
November 19, 2015
Joel Gomez
Hispanic
Male
20
Open/no arrest
November 23, 2015
D'Andre Mayfield
Black
Male
20
Open/no arrest
December 2, 2015
Philip Munoz
Hispanic
Male
35
Open/no arrest
January 23, 2016
Varnell Jenkins
Black
Male
29
Closed without arrest
January 30,2016
Victor Mendoza
Hispanic
Male
46
Closed without arrest
February 4, 2016
David Castillo
Hispanic
Male
28
Open/no arrest
March 12, 2016
Jose Cortez
Hispanic
Male
46
Open/no arrest
March 31, 2016
Jesse Lopez
White
Male
50
Closed without arrest
April 3, 2016
Scott Breitinger
White
Male
45
Open/no arrest
April 12, 2016
Marc Koenig
White
Male
35
Open/no arrest
June 28, 2016
Cara Russell
White
Female
52
Closed without arrest
June 30, 2016
Tyrone Moore
Black
Male
39
Closed without arrest
July 3, 2016
Kurt Gillotte
White
Male
45
Open/no arrest
July 9, 2016
John Field
Hispanic
Male
50
Open/no arrest
July 14, 2016
Irma Smith
Black
Female
90
Closed without arrest
July 30, 2016
Gailen Armstrong
Black
Male
20
Open/no arrest
Santy Orozco-Uribe
Hispanic
Female
26
Closed without arrest
July 31, 2016
Sheryl Fierro
White
Female
54
Closed without arrest
August 3, 2016
Nina Rosenfeld
White
Female
95
Closed without arrest
August 21, 2016
Osbaldo Zavala-Hernandez
Hispanic
Male
18
Open/no arrest
August 28, 2016
Frank Chavez
White
Male
53
Open/no arrest
September 11, 2016
Gerald Hammons
Black
Male
38
Open/no arrest
September 12, 2016
Gervais Spencer
Black
Male
45
Open/no arrest
October 1, 2016
Rene Wells
Black
Male
34
Open/no arrest
October 12, 2016
Deonta McDonald
Black
Male
19
Open/no arrest
David Henderson
Black
Male
48
Open/no arrest
October 15, 2016
Quinasia Russell
Black
Female
23
Open/no arrest
October 17, 2016
Jordan Valdez
Hispanic
Male
23
Open/no arrest
October 22, 2016
Jose Jacquez
Hispanic
Male
31
Open/no arrest
October 29, 2016
Orlando Jackson
Black
Male
27
Open/no arrest
Terrence Ashley
Black
Male
34
Open/no arrest
November 8, 2016
Juan Ramos
Hispanic
Male
23
Open/no arrest
Charles Polzin
White
Male
49
Open/no arrest
November 9, 2016
Nathanel Simpson
Black
Male
30
Closed without arrest
November 17, 2016
Zachariah Chavez
Hispanic
Male
50
Closed without arrest
Luis Zamora-Ornelas
Hispanic
Male
20
Open/no arrest
November 27, 2016
Kim Sanghyuk
Asian
Male
16
Open/no arrest
Rufino Perez
Hispanic
Male
54
Open/no arrest
December 25, 2016
Kayla Burke
White
Female
21
Open/no arrest
January 11, 2017
Ernesto Villalobos-Razo
Hispanic
Male
41
Open/no arrest
February 7, 2017
Tim Cruz
White
Male
32
Open/no arrest
February 14, 2017
Richard Hammond
White
Male
63
Open/no arrest
February 25, 2017
Clarence Thomas
Black
Male
33
Open/no arrest