Possible slaying at Clinton Street apartments

Police are investigating a possible homicide at an apartment near Clinton Street and Montview. Our story is below the jump.

The picture at right is of the apartment building Friday night.

It was a gut-wrenching scene in front of the building Friday evening. Our photographer and I arrived there around 6:30 p.m. and family members were huddled together, many sobbing over the woman's death. Others looked like they still hadn't processed what happened to the woman. The family had been looking for her for a few days before her body was found Friday around 3:30 p.m.

Police have not confirmed that the death was a homicide, only calling it suspicious. Family members said Friday they believed the woman was murdered. 

I expect to have an update before Monday's paper, check back here for it.

In a sad twist, the apartment where police found the woman dead Friday is on the same block, just a few buildings down from, the building where Aurora code officer Rodney Morales was gunned down in November 2008. After the story I've posted some links to past coverage of the Morales case.

Here is our story:

Woman found dead Friday may have been slain

By Brandon Johansson

AURORA | Police are investigating the death of a woman found dead in her north Aurora apartment Friday afternoon as a homicide.

The woman, whose name has not been released, was found inside an apartment at 1931 Clinton Street.

Police said the person who found her immediately called 911 and because of trauma to her body, police are investigating the death as a possible homicide.

No suspect information was released. 

Detectives from the major crimes unit, which investigates homicides, were on scene Friday. Police said some witnesses had been taken to Aurora police headquarters for interviews.

A crowd of mourners had gathered on the street in front of the apartment building Friday evening, many of them sobbing loudly at news of the woman’s death.

Some in the crowd said the woman was a 24-year-old who recently moved to the apartment from east Denver. They said she did not have children and lived there with her boyfriend.

One woman, who said she was the dead woman’s relative, said the woman’s mother went to look for her Thursday night because she had not heard from her lately. Nobody answered when the mother knocked on the door.

She said the building’s manager found the woman Friday afternoon when they went into the apartment to check on her.

Police are asking anyone with information about the case to contact Detective Hershel Stowell at 303-739-6079.

Here are links to our Morales coverage. First, the trial-wrap I wrote last spring.  The second link should take you to our website's search results for "Rodney Morales".


Trial wrap
Search results

-Brandon