Aurora man suspected in 3 murders over 25-hour stretch
Police reported they have obtained an arrest warrant for a suspect required in connection with two separate fatal stabbings Sunday morning in northwest Aurora Ricky Roybal-Smith of Aurora was already in custody in Denver where he is being charged with murdering a fellow jail inmate after being held in a hit-and-run circumstance that injured two pedestrians Roybal-Smith will be transferred to Adams County and booked on the new first-degree murder warrant according to a news release issued Wednesday by the Aurora Police Department Aurora s warrant against Roybal-Smith is linked to the fatal stabbings Sunday of two men who were experiencing homelessness The first statement came in at around a m of an unresponsive man in the block of Moline Street When officers arrived they discovered a stabbing victim and their efforts to revive the man failed Just before a m officers answered a second call of an unresponsive male near a bus stop on Peoria Street south of East Colfax Avenue He also had stab wounds and was dead when officers arrived Based on the timing nearby locations and similar stabbing injuries detectives determined the two crimes were related They issued an arrest warrant for Roybal-Smith in both cases Related Articles Barry Morphew extradited to Alamosa County jail on murder charge Man and juvenile arrested on suspicion of murder in Aurora shooting Woman accused of stabbing man times in Greeley apartment Barry Morphew indicted in murder of wife Suzanne Morphew more than years after original charges dropped Fatal Brighton stabbing started over money dispute police say Roybal-Smith is also a suspect in the murder of a fellow inmate at the downtown Denver jail on Monday morning Roybal-Smith had initially been held on charges of careless driving that injured two pedestrians at Galapago Street and North Ninth Avenue as well as of leaving the scene of that accident and driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol He is also suspected of being involved in a second accident at westbound Interstate and North Lowell Street A Denver sheriff s deputy ascertained the man who shared a housing unit with Roybal-Smith unresponsive in his bunk at around a m The man had been assaulted and later died from his injuries according to a news release Aurora police are offering a reward of up to for information related to the homicide cases via Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at - - Tipsters can remain anonymous Royal-Smith pleaded guilty to vehicular assault charges in related to a high-speed chase in late with Littleton Police that ended in a crash into a parked SUV at South Santa Fe Drive and West Oxford Avenue The accident seriously injured a person and Royal-Smith received a -year prison sentence Royal-Smith qualified for an early release under Colorado law and was out on parole in after serving only half of his prison sentence While on parole he was arrested on felony menacing charges after swinging a filet knife at a fellow customer in a Walmart store in Englewood He received four years in that menacing episode but again was circulated early on parole in January of this year Prior to the high-speed chase and crash Royal-Smith had faced charges for various drug menacing domestic violence and motor vehicles cases dating back to according to court records Sign up to get crime news sent straight to your inbox each day
