An 84-year-old murder fugitive wanted in connection with the 1977 shooting death of a man in downtown Denver has been returned to Colorado following his capture in Texas, authorities say.
Benito Soto is charged with one count of first-degree murder for the shooting death of Armando Garcia. The charge was originally filed in September 1977.
The charge alleges that on the night of June 21, 1977, Soto shot and killed Garcia at the Denampa Bar on Larimer Street, according to a news release by Ken Lane, spokesman for the Denver District Attorney’s Office.
Soto was identified as the killer at the time of the shooting and a warrant was issued for his arrest, but he fled Denver and the case went cold because his whereabouts remained unknown.
After the fugitive unit of the Denver Police Department discovered Soto was living in Texas, the Denver District Attorney’s Cold Case Unit re-opened the case.
Crucial witnesses were re-interviewed and Soto himself was interviewed in Texas by a Denver police cold case detective and a Denver district attorney cold case investigator. Soto was returned to Denver earlier this month.
This is the oldest case the Denver DA’s Cold Case Unit has prosecuted to date.
Soto is being held without bail at Denver city jail. A preliminary hearing in the case has been scheduled for April 21.
