Suspect locked up for alleged crime spree faces murder charges after pregnant woman found dead in abandoned car
A Colorado man who was taken into custody after he allegedly went on a violent crime spree that led to a police chase and ended in gunfire is now accused of murdering a pregnant woman, whose body was found in an abandoned vehicle a day after he was detained.
James “Jaime” Benavidez, 50, faces charges of first-degree murder, auto theft and unlawful termination of a pregnancy after 32-year-old Keeley Koff was found shot to death on Friday inside the car just a mile from her Brighton home.
Benavidez’s wild spree allegedly began a day earlier, when he is accused of attempting to rob a man of his vehicle at the Murphy Express gas station on Bromley Lane in Denver, the Brighton Police Department said in a press release on Monday.
The two struggled at the pumps and a single gunshot was fired. The driver sustained minor injuries and Benavidez then fled on a bicycle, authorities said.
Minutes later, officers were notified of a different vehicle stolen from a business near Highway 85 and West Bridge Street – just two blocks from the gas station.
The owner of the stolen car gave a description of the suspect, which matched that of the gas station suspect, believed to be Benavidez, police said.
When police located Benavidez, he allegedly refused to stop and led police on a pursuit. Brighton police allege Benavidez fired at pursuing police vehicles, striking several but injuring no officers.
Officers returned fire and wounded Benavidez. He was taken into custody and transported to a nearby hospital.
Later that night, he was booked into the Adams County Jail, where he faces charges of attempted robbery, the subsequent pursuit and the alleged attempted murder of several officers, Brighton police said.
While Benavidez was behind bars, Koff’s body was found. Brighton police said Koff appeared to have been shot and that she was known to Benavidez.
No other details about how long she had been dead, or the exact relationship between her and Benavidez, have been provided by police.
Benavidez, who has a lengthy Colorado criminal record and multiple prior prison sentences, is expected to be formally charged when he appears in court on Thursday.
