Sheriff’s deputies have arrested a man suspected of dragging a woman behind a truck while she was alive.
Douglas County Sheriff David Weaver says he’s the man pictured in a photograph that was left at the scene.
The victim has not been identified yet. Authorities say it has not yet been determined if she is the woman pictured.
The woman suffocated to death and suffered multiple head injuries, according to a report by the Douglas County coroner’s office.
She was dragged a little more than a mile and her body was left Monday in front of homes in the Surrey Ridge subdivision. The location was random, said Weaver.
The suspect, Jose Luis Rubi-Nava, is being held at the Douglas County Jail on suspicion of first-degree murder. He is 36 and lives in Glendale. He is also being held on immigration charges.
At a court appearance this afternoon, Rubi-Nava said nothing but listened impassively through a translator as District Judge Paul A. King formally told him the charge he faces.
King sealed the arrest warrant affidavit, which outlines the preliminary allegations against Rubi-Nava, at the request of public defender Kathleen McGuire. King said he would consider McGuire’s request for a gag order.
Rubi-Nava, wearing a red jail jumpsuit and shackled at the wrists and ankles, said nothing during the 30-minute hearing. He looked around the courtroom but made no sign of recognizing anyone.
Another court hearing was scheduled for Monday.
Deputies and residents had described a grisly trail of blood more than a mile long leading from Interstate 25 to the woman’s body. It was found near a driveway on a paved street of large ranch-style homes on spacious lots, some landscaped and others carpeted with tall prairie grass.
Today, highway crews were spreading a coat of fresh tar over the roads to cover the remnants of the blood.
Weaver said tips from the public helped in making the arrest.
Staff writer Kirk Mitchell can be reached at 303-954-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
