A 40-year-old man is being held for investigation of first-degree murder in the death of Bonnie Gilbert Bergin, whose body was discovered in the burned ruins of her rental home on July 29.
The man was identified by Lakewood police as Britt Allan Cox.
According to Steve Davis, spokesman for the Lakewood Police Department, detectives arrested Cox on Wednesday night after he was discovered in a stolen vehicle in the 3300 block of West 71st Place.
Previously, Cox had been interviewed by Lakewood detectives about Bergin’s death but had not been arrested, said Davis.
Since the initial interviews, detectives developed enough information and evidence to add a murder charge against Cox, said Davis.
Cox has been in the Jefferson County Jail on the stolen-vehicle charge since his arrest.
Davis said additional charges are anticipated as the investigation continues.
Earlier this week, Lakewood police said that as a result of an autopsy performed on Bergin, 49, her death was being investigated as a homicide.
Bergin’s body was found under the debris of her burned-out rental home on the morning of July 29, hours after the West Metro Fire District responded to a fire at 11905 W. 20th Ave.
The firefighters, whose station is down the block from the home, found heavy fire and thick smoke coming from the home. Within minutes of their arrival, part of the house collapsed, covering Bergin’s body.
On Saturday, more than 20 West Metro firefighters, investigators and Lakewood police worked the scene. They erected tents under which they were sifting through dirt.
Prior to her death, Bergin had been an interpretive guide at Mesa Verde for the National Park Service. At one point in 1988, she was transferred from Mesa Verde to Yellowstone National Park during the massive forest fires that hit Yellowstone.
Terry Bergin, who was divorced from Bergin in 1997, said his ex-wife had degrees in biology and environmental science and also had worked for Jeffco Open Space.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
