Aurora – Police say a 31-year-old man sexually assaulted 18 children over a two-year span, attacking some victims as many as 100 times.
Zuri-Kye Latifbay McGhee apparently pretended to be a 13-year-old boy or dressed as a celebrity look-alike to lure children for sexual activities, police said. He is in Arapahoe County jail on $800,000 bail.
“We believe there were additional victims,” said Aurora police Sgt. Rudy Herrera.
Police arrested McGhee on July 11 after a 14-year-old boy told authorities he had been attacked by McGhee, whom he had met in June 2002.
The boy told police McGhee had passed himself off as being 13 or 15 years old.
At the time of the arrest, McGhee was living at an Aurora home with an 11-year-old boy and the boy’s parents.
It’s unclear whether that boy was victimized.
After further investigation, detectives discovered 17 other alleged victims, both boys and girls, from ages 9 to 13.
Police say McGhee volunteered at local schools and churches – they wouldn’t identify which ones – and hosted sleep overs for kids at motels.
McGhee would dress as a celebrity for events, but authorities wouldn’t comment on which star he tried to look like.
Police have said McGhee pretended to be a young teenage boy to befriend children and later sexually assault them.
“Officers who arrested him didn’t think that he was 31 years old,” Herrera said. “They say he looked much younger. He provided them with a bogus date of birth (Feb. 18, 1992). I’m not sure that they bought that he was 13. … But the officers thought he looked young.”
Most people in positions of trust who are accused of these types of crimes are adults serving in roles of authority, such as coaches or teachers, Herrera said. They don’t typically pretend to be kids.
“This case you have a 31-year-old man who purports himself to being 13 to 15 years old, which is the approximate age of his victims,” Herrera said. “Then he makes friends with them at their level to take advantage of them. It’s an entirely new twist.”
Herrera said he believes that some victims may not know they were abused by a 31-year- old man.
“Maybe they thought they were sexually exploring with someone their age,” he said. “Maybe (the arrest) will prompt them to discuss things with their parents and hopefully come forward. The more victims that come forward, the better we will understand the scope.”
Aurora police say McGhee has faced similar charges before.
In 1999, McGhee pleaded guilty to one count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor in New Mexico. The original charge was criminal sexual contact with a minor, but that charge appears to have been dropped in exchange for his plea.
He is now charged with sexual assault on a child showing a pattern of abuse, sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust and numerous related charges.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Dean Ziegler at 303-739-6088.
Staff writer Jeremy Meyer can be reached at 303-820-1175 or jpmeyer@denverpost.com.
