Casper police officers helped capture a 14-year-old suspect charged in a Denver murder, authorities say.
Steven Marquez, 14, was on the run for a week after the July 10 killing of Todd Kidd in the area of 29th and Larimer Streets in Denver, according to a Denver Police Department statement released Thursday. Surveillance video and witness accounts helped identify Marquez as the suspect.
Denver Police Fugitive Unit investigators determined Marquez was in Casper, which led to his Wednesday evening arrest, the police statement says.
Police have not released a motive for the killing of Kidd, also of Denver. Investigators said they are not releasing Marquez’s booking photo or arrest affidavit because he is a juvenile.
At about 6:40 p.m. on July 10, police say, Kidd intervened in a disturbance in the RiNo neighborhood of Denver and Marquez shot him, the statement says.
Kidd was taken to the hospital, where he died from his injuries two days later.
The Denver Police Department declined to provide more details.
Investigators identified Marquez as the suspect through surveillance videos and witness information.
Denver Police Fugitive Unit investigators determined Marquez was in Casper, which led to his Wednesday evening arrest, says the statement.
Marquez is being held on suspicion of first-degree murder. The Denver District Attorney’s Office will decide how to charge the case ultimately.
“We collaborate often with other agencies and the Casper Police Department is incredibly happy with the outcome and the teamwork in this incident,” Amber Freestone, Casper police public information officer, told Cowboy State Daily in a Thursday phone interview.
The shooting happened outside the RiNo bar in Denver, the Denver Post reported.
A GoFundMe fundraising page, which describes Kidd as someone who would give another the shirt off his own back, says Kidd was shot while defending his coworkers in his workplace.
David Gabriel, a Facebook user who in many posts has identified himself as Marquez’s father, said in a Tuesday social media post that his son is wrongly accused. He pleaded with the public to help him find a lawyer “or anybody who (can) help my son.”
In another post Wednesday, Gabriel said, “I love you son, and if this whole world turns against you, I’ll be here screaming F— this world.”
Gabriel did not immediately respond to a message request for comment.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
