Aurora – An Arapahoe County grand jury has been impaneled and is hearing evidence in a June 20 shooting that killed two people.
Prosecutors are presenting evidence against Robert Keith Ray, 20, and Sir Mario Owens, 21, who have been labeled as persons of interest in the case that hasn’t been solved.
The shooting on an Aurora street killed Javad Marshall-Fields and his fiancée, Christine Wolfe, both 22.
Marshall-Fields had recently graduated from CSU and was going to be the key witness in a trial against Ray that was to begin June 27. Marshall-Fields also had just proposed to his girlfriend, who graduated from CSU a few months earlier.
Marshall-Fields told Aurora police he saw Ray drive a getaway car from the scene of a shooting on July 4, 2004, at Aurora’s Lowry Park where his friend, Gregory Vann, 20, was killed.
Marshall-Fields also was injured in that shooting.
Chief Deputy District Attorney John Hower said he couldn’t talk about grand jury cases. And 18th Judicial District Attorney Carol Chambers said through a spokeswoman she couldn’t disclose the nature of any current or future grand jury cases.
But a source close to the investigation said the grand jury is meeting about the June 20 double homicide and will continue to hear testimony this week.
The case is a potential death-penalty case.
“If they have convened a grand jury, I’m extremely pleased, because it is something I requested shortly after Javad’s death,” said Rhonda Fields, Marshall-Fields’ mother. “I wanted every available resource to help investigate and resolve this hein ous crime. I hope they come out with some strong indictments.”
Both Ray and Owens have been charged with first-degree murder in Vann’s death and attempted murder in that case. Ray is set to go to trial in March, and hearings are continuing in Owens’ case. He was arrested in Louisiana and recently extradited to Colorado.
Ray last week was convicted of unrelated weapons charges and will be sentenced after his March trial is over. Attorneys for Ray did not return phone calls Friday.
The seven-month investigation into the June 20 double homicide has netted numerous arrests, including uncovering Owens’ alleged connection in the July 4 shooting. Also, a man was charged with intimidating Marshall-Fields the night before he was shot, two women were charged with helping Ray hide the alleged getaway car and another man was charged with being an accessory.
Staff writer Jeremy Meyer may be reached at 303-820-1175 or jpmeyer@denverpost.com.
