CLEAR CREEK COUNTY, Colo. — The man accused of murdering a Doberman Pinscher breeder in Georgetown in 2024 has pleaded guilty to two of the charges against him, including murder.
Sergio Ferrer, 37, of Georgetown, pleaded guilty on Monday morning in Clear Creek County court to second-degree murder and aggravated robbery. Judge Catherine Cheroute accepted the plea agreement and set sentencing for Jan. 12, 2026.
Ferrer was arrested last summer after he was accused of murdering 57-year-old Paul Peavey, covering his body, and stealing items from his trailer last summer, with as many as 20 European Doberman Pinscher puppies missing. A search party acting on a missing persons report found Peavey's body near his trailer in Clear Creek County on Aug. 24, 2024, a few days after the report was made.
Ferrer, who was then considered a person of interest, was arrested later that afternoon on an unrelated warrant out of Nebraska. Shortly after, he was formally charged with first-degree murder in connection with Peavey's death, as well as felony murder, aggravated robbery, tampering with a deceased human body, second-degree burglary and theft between $20K and $100K.
During a preliminary hearing on Jan. 24, witnesses — which included Clear Creek County Sgt. Joel Buehrle and Colorado Bureau of Investigation Agent Gregg Slater — described finding Peavey's body, which was missing most of the head and was partially covered with branches and rocks. They said the coroner's office found he had been shot in the head. They said when they contacted Sergio Ferrer, his story about his interactions with Peavey changed multiple times, and that Peavey had deemed Sergio Ferrer an "unsuitable candidate" when he inquired about buying a puppy.
Peavey's autopsy was completed by the Boulder County Coroner's Office on Aug. 28, 2024. The cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds and the manner of death was ruled a homicide, Slater said. The coroner's office brought in Dr. Diane France, a world-renowned forensic anthropologist, to analyze Peavey's skull. Slater said the upper back part of the skull, as well as part of the front, were missing, and bone fragments had been found near his trailer.
Based on damage to the front of the skull, Dr. France said she believed that the bullet had exited the front of his face.
The Follow Up
Investigators: Murdered Colorado dog breeder had denied suspect a puppy
His wife, Ana Ferrer, was arrested earlier this month, the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office announced on April 8, 2025. Her alleged role has not yet been detailed. She was arrested on charges of accessory, theft and tampering with evidence. She pleaded guilty to accessory to a crime and theft on Sept. 22, 2025, and was sentenced to four years in prison.
In court on Monday, Judge Cheroutes said the second-degree murder case carries a sentence of eight to 24 years in prison and the aggravated robbery case carries a sentence of four to 12 years in prison.
His sentencing will take place on Jan. 12, 2026.
