Arapahoe County – Parents of juveniles packed a courtroom Thursday to witness a hearing for the man police say sexually assaulted their children by pretending he was between 13 and 15.
Zuri-Kye Latifbay McGhee, 31, is being held on $800,000 bail, and prosecutors Thursday filed 60 more counts against him for a total of 72 counts, mostly felonies.
“There are more charges coming,” said Deputy District Attorney Christine Schober. Police say McGhee pretended to be a boy and contacted his victims by volunteering at local schools and churches.
The investigation has identified 19 alleged victims, including two girls, between the ages of 9 and 14. Police are interviewing three more possible victims.
McGhee’s preliminary hearing was delayed to Oct. 27, and prosecutors said they may ask for an increase in bail.
“He’s hurt a lot of kids and a lot of families,” said a mother outside the courthouse. “He dressed like a child, thought like a child. He wore kids’ clothes, rode skateboards, did everything a teenage boy would do. He never once slipped. He was good.”
Many of McGhee’s alleged victims were friends who associated with the same group, said Deputy District Attorney Melissa Drazen-Smith. They all thought McGhee was a peer, she said.
McGhee in 1998 was charged with 23 felony counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor, pleading guilty in 1999 to one felony count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He thereby escaped having to register as a sex offender.
One parent said she wasn’t surprised he was able to plead to lesser charges.
“I know how the justice system works,” she said. “I don’t think he’s going to get out of this one.”
After the brief hearing, parents gathered in a vacant courtroom to meet with prosecutors and victim advocates. Many lingered outside the courthouse afterward.
It’s tough on the parents, as well as their children, Drazen-Smith said.
“It’s a very difficult thing,” she said. “They feel so helpless. They were also taken in by this man. They thought they were helping a boy. They don’t understand why they were victimized.”
Staff writer Jeremy Meyer can be reached at 303-820-1175 or jpmeyer@denverpost.com.
