Ten Oldest Unsolved Murder Cases in Denver

Hundreds of Denver residents are still waiting for justice decades after they were murdered.

There are nearly 2,000 open cold cases listed on the Colorado Bureau of Investigation database, including 1,400 homicides that occurred between 1911 and 2021. Of those homicides, 773 took place in Denver between 1970 and 2017.

After cross-referencing CBI data with the Denver Police Department, which doesn't currently list cold cases before 1970, Westword compiled the ten oldest Denver homicide cases that remain unsolved.

The Denver Police Department’s Cold Case Unit is still seeking information on the cases. Anyone with information is asked to call the police department at 720-913-2000 or the Crime Stoppers Tip Line at 720-913-7867. Tipsters can remain anonymous and may receive a reward of up to $2,000.

10. Helen Beckam

On the afternoon of October 6, 1970, Helen Beckam was found shot dead inside of her Denver home after police responded to a report of a medical emergency. Police say the 43-year-old woman was confronted near her residence at 6631 East 24th Avenue when she was shot. Beckam retreated inside of her home after the attack, where she died of her injuries. No suspects were ever identified.

9. Grover Alvet

Grover Alvet was found dead on September 28, 1970, near 1723 Market Street, in the modern-day Union Station neighborhood. He had reportedly been beaten to death. Alvet was a 57-year-old man. No additional details about his case have been discovered.

8. Vincent Ruiz

Twenty-three-year-old Vincent Ruiz was driving to a local fast-food restaurant on September 8, 1970, when he got into a dispute with another vehicle. Ruiz was driving down West 44th Avenue along with the suspected vehicle involved, a black sedan. Police say both vehicles stopped near Bryant Street, at which point Ruiz and the occupants of the black sedan all got out of their vehicles and participated in a physical altercation. Ruiz was fatally shot during the fight. The suspects immediately fled the scene and were never caught.

7. Thomas Cristiano

Thomas Cristiano was only nineteen years old when he was killed on July 3, 1970, near East 14th Avenue and Sherman Street. Police say the teen was sitting in his car on the State Capitol grounds when he was confronted and shot by an unknown assailant. Cristiano was taken to a local hospital but died of his injuries shortly after. He was interested in art and was an employee at the Western Drive Inn on East Colfax Avenue, according to his case file.

6. Delorn Fiene

Late night on June 1, 1970, 70-year-old Delorn Fiene was found lying face-down on the sidewalk at 15th Street and Cleveland Place, bleeding and unconscious. He died at the scene. An investigation revealed that Fiene, a Missouri-born hotel clerk, had been beaten to death in an apparent robbery, according to police. No suspects were identified.

5. Thomas Fowler

Denver police responded to a report of a man down on May 24, 1970. Officers discovered Thomas Fowler suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to the chest near 2243 California Street in the Five Points neighborhood. The 54-year-old man later died of his injuries. No additional details about his case were uncovered.

4. George Mieter

George Mieter was found dead on May 2, 1970, near 931 Santa Fe Drive in Denver's Lincoln Park neighborhood. The 41-year-old man was killed by an apparent gunshot wound, according to police. No further information about the murder is available.

3. Lena Dowerman

On the morning of March 9, 1970, a visiting friend discovered Lena Dowerman dead inside of her apartment at 30 West Bayaud Street. Dowerman, a 71-year-old woman, had been beaten and strangled to death, according to police. Dowerman lived alone in an apartment complex that she managed near Broadway and Bayaud Street. Her assailant was never found.

2. Martin Bustos

Martin Bustos, 27, was fatally shot on February 27, 1970, near 26th and Curtis streets. Police say officers were called to the area on reports of gunshots and found Bustos wounded near his 1955 Chevrolet. He succumbed to his injuries at the scene. No suspects were identified.

1. Bennie Eberhardt

Bennie Eberhardt, a 59-year-old cab driver, was found dead on January 7, 1970, in the 600 block of Dexter Street. Police say Eberhardt was beaten to death. His cab and money were also stolen during the fatal assault. No further details about his case were uncovered.