Update: Yesterday, we told you about the conclusion of a SWAT-team standoff at a West Colfax motel that ended with the arrest of a suspect in a May 15 homicide; see our previous coverage below.
At the time, three people were taken into custody. The Lakewood Police Department has now divulged that one of this trio, 46-year-old Andrew Gutierrez, is being held on suspicion of first-degree murder. The victim has been identified as Eric Schnaare, 41.
The man and woman also rounded up with Gutierrez haven't been officially tied to the killing. However, the LPD reveals that another couple — John Orlando Sanchez, 40, and Amelia Marie Irizarry, 44 — have been behind bars for several days. They're suspected of several charges, including some associated with the homicide investigation.
All three of the arrestees have Facebook pages. Irizarry posted several items early on the 15th, including the following photo, which features the caption "DOING ME!!!!"
As for Sanchez, who goes by Orlando, his most recent post appeared on May 2. Along with the photo at the top of this post, he wrote: "Been up all.night getting high. Putting in dirt. I've been out a.week and back to hitting the streets and smoking Crystal. Abandoned my wife & family. But fuck it, I'm a.G."
One response to the photo reads: "Ask Jesus Christ for help, accept in your heart."
Unlike Sanchez and Irizarry, who appear to be an item (there are several shots of them together), Gutierrez hadn't updated his page since last year. Here's his profile pic:
The victim, Eric Schnaare, was originally from Illinois, which is where he's being laid to rest.
His obituary describes him as "a boilermaker with Union Local 663 and a former member of Olmsted Volunteer Fire Department."
According to the Lakewood Police Department, officers responding to an anonymous caller found Schnaare's body inside an apartment on the 1400 block of Harlan Street shortly after 3:30 p.m. on the 15th.
Although the gruesome discovery was originally reported as a "suspicious death," the LPD maintains that investigators "quickly concluded that Schnaare's death was the result of a homicide."
Five days later, they arrested Sanchez and Irizarry at an address on the 4500 block of Stuart Street in Denver.
Here's an interactive graphic capturing the location. If you have problems seeing the image, click "View on Google Maps."
Sanchez and Irizarry were arrested on what are described as "unrelated warrants, as well as new charges associated with the homicide investigation."
Then, late Tuesday night, May 26, detectives zeroed in on Gutierrez, who they learned was staying at the Denver West Inn, on the 7100 block of West Colfax.
A SWAT team was positioned around the hotel and guests were evacuated as negotiators tried to talk Gutierrez out of their room.
Early reports suggested that they finally succeeded at around 8 a.m., but the LPD puts the actual time closer to 7:30 a.m.
Gutierrez is said to face "multiple charges, including but not limited to first-degree murder." Prosecutors will determine the final roster, as they will in the cases of Sanchez and Irizarry.
Look below to see booking photos of the three suspects, followed by an updated Fox31 report and our previous coverage. In the meantime, our condolences to the friends, family and loved ones of Eric Schnaare.
Update, 8:50 a.m.: Within the hour, the SWAT team standoff at the Denver West Inn on West Colfax in Lakewood (see our previous coverage below) came to an end.
Three people have been taken into custody.
One is reportedly a suspect in a May 15 homicide on the 1400 block of Harlan Street. The other two — a man and a woman — were with the wanted male and will be questioned by police to determine if they can shed any light on the case.
The details come courtesy of 7News, which reveals that motel guests were evacuated at around 5 a.m. as officers tried to coax the suspect out.
At around 6:30 a.m., the woman in the room spoke with cops on the scene. But it still took another ninety minutes for the thus-far-unidentified suspect to surrender.
Here's a 7News piece, followed by our initial item from earlier this morning.
Original post, 5:55 a.m.: At this hour, officers with the Lakewood Police Department, including members of the SWAT team, are on site at the Denver West Inn.
They're reportedly after a suspect in a May 15 incident originally called a "suspicious death."
The cops subsequently confirmed that the case was being investigated as a homicide.
However, precious little information has been released about the victim of the crime or the circumstances of his or her death.
On May 15, the LPD revealed that its dispatch office had received an anonymous call at around 3:25 p.m. in regard to a deceased person inside an apartment on the 1400 block of Harlan Street.
The area is captured in the following interactive graphic. If you have problems seeing the image, click "View on Google Maps."
Upon their arrival, the LPD continued, officers could see a person lying on the floor inside the apartment, and after forcing entry, they determined that the individual was dead.
The department 's Major Crime Unit was assigned to investigate, but no further details were shared at the time — not even the gender of the person found deceased.
This remained the case on May 18, when the cops revealed that the situation was being treated as a homicide. At present, the victim remains unidentified and no suspects have been publicly named.
However, LPD personnel appear to believe that a person of interest had holed up at the Denver West Inn, located at 7150 West Colfax. Here's an interactive graphic of that location.
According to 9News, officers arrived in force at the hotel just after midnight.
Twenty people staying at the inn were relocated as the cops began going through the facility.
Here's a photo from the scene courtesy of 9News' Noel Brennan....
Lakewood PD looking for suspect in connection to May 15 murder at apt. on 1400 blk Harlan St. #9NewsMornings pic.twitter.com/a5sFVu2j3f
— Noel Brennan (@Noeltbrennan) May 27, 2015Lakewood Police & SWAT surround West End Motel, attempting to locate homicide suspect. About 20 people displaced. pic.twitter.com/o0rvKxRIIT
— Macradee (@macradee) May 27, 2015Send your story tips to the author, Michael Roberts.
