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| Robert Lee Harper |
AURORA | One of three men charged with killing a man at a south Aurora motel last fall accepted a plea agreement with prosecutors last week.
Robert Harper, 18, pleaded guilty to burglary and robbery on Feb. 24, prosecutors said. In exchange for the plea, prosecutors dropped several other charges against Harper, including first-degree murder and kidnapping.
Harper was charged along with Maliek Bailey, 36, and Steven Wayne Bassett, 27, in connection with the Oct. 15 slaying of Michael Pinkus at the Crestwood Suites motel.
The three defendants have been held without bond at the Arapahoe County Jail since their arrests last fall.
Harper is scheduled for sentencing April 15. It wasn’t clear Monday what sentence he may face or if he is expected to testify against Bailey and Bassett.
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| Steven Wayne Bassett |
According to testimony during the first day of their preliminary hearings in early February, Pinkus’ killers attacked him that night in an attempt to steal marijuana from him. Police later found Pinkus’ battered body inside a hotel room, his hands and feet bound.
The lead police investigator on the case testified that Bassett told police Bailey and Harper beat Pinkus after Bassett arranged to meet him at the motel to buy marijuana.
Bassett told police that Bailey was Harper’s father.
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| Maliek Bailey |
After the attack, Bassett and Bailey went to Pinkus’ nearby home to steal marijuana they thought he kept there, according to testimony.
Pinkus’ girlfriend and his roommate testified they were at the home that night with Pinkus’ young son when Bassett arrived. He and a black man wearing black cloth covering everything but his eyes searched the home for a few minutes before leaving. Based on testimony, it didn’t appear they found any drugs or any other valuables.
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