A man is facing murder charges in connection to the Nov. 29 shooting of a Wheat Ridge antique store owner.
The Wheat Ridge Police Department on Thursday recommended one first-degree murder charge and two second-degree murder charges against Charles Robinson Shay, 41, in the death of Peter Arguello at his store, Peter Damian Fine Jewelry and Antiques, according to a police department news release.
Following an intensive investigation into the death of Peter Arguello, who was shot and killed at his business on the 7200 block of W 38th Ave. on Nov. 29, 2023, the Wheat Ridge Police Department has recommended criminal charges against Charles Robinson Shay (DOB 1/10/83).
— Wheat Ridge Police (@WheatRidgePD)
Arguello, 64, was killed in a suspected robbery at his store on Nov. 29, 2023.
Witnesses told responding officers during the investigation they saw two people leaving the store the day of the shooting and entering a red Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck, according to an affidavit filed Friday along with the murder charges.
“While the department has recommended criminal charges against one individual, the case remains active and ongoing,” the news release stated. “We remain confident our community is safe.”
A Wheat Ridge police spokesperson declined to answer if the department was investigating a second person involved in the shooting.
Police later found the truck in Centennial after it had been set on fire, and according to the affidavit, Shay was connected to the truck by DNA evidence on a hat found in the truck that one of the people involved in the shooting was wearing in surveillance footage.
The surveillance footage also captured two people in the store at the time of the shooting and the two people leaving the store and getting into the pickup truck, according to the affidavit.
Shay was already in custody after police said he burglarized the antique store the day after Christmas, nearly a month after the shooting.
Shay admitted to entering the store that day in a police interview, according to the affidavit, but denied being involved in Arguello’s shooting.
He is facing three separate charges, second-degree motor vehicle theft, burglary of an occupied commercial building, and criminal possession of an identification document; in connection to that incident, according to court records.
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