WHEAT RIDGE, Colo. (AP) — The DNA found at a Wheat Ridge jewelry store and on items left behind is being used as evidence linking Charles Shay to the killing of Peter Arguello, according to police. Shay, who had been in custody since late December on burglary charges, is now facing a murder charge in connection with the fatal shooting of Arguello, the owner of the jewelry store.
On Nov. 29, officers responded to the business at 7220 West 38th Avenue for a report of an injured man and found Arguello fatally shot behind the shop. Witnesses reported seeing two men walking from the business and leaving in a stolen red Chevrolet pickup.
According to court documents, security footage from the business showed Arguello letting a man wearing a Marine ball cap and white Broncos jersey inside the store. The video depicts the man pulling out a gun and escorting Arguello to the rear of the store before assaulting him. DNA matching Shay was found on black flex cuffs and zip ties inside the jewelry store, as well as on the exterior handle of the shop’s bathroom and the Marine hat found in the burned-out truck.
Investigators also found that Arguello’s phone had pinged near Shay’s home within two hours of the shooting. Surveillance of Shay’s home and his phone records further linked him to the burglary and the homicide. Additionally, a stolen car often parked at Shay’s home was in the area near the jewelry store during the time of both the burglary and the homicide.
Shay, who was arrested for the burglary, later told investigators that he viewed the homicide as a crime of opportunity, knowing that the business was unoccupied. Despite Shay’s claims, the evidence gathered by investigators seems to provide a strong link between him and the killing of Arguello.
Shay is scheduled to appear in court related to the homicide case on January 22. As of now, no other arrests have been made in connection with the murder.