CrimeCrime

Actions

Remaining suspect in kidnapping at Edge of Lowry complex in Aurora arrested in Chicago, extradited to Colorado

Denver7 has been reporting for months on efforts by Aurora police to bring all 12 suspects wanted in the violent home invasion and kidnapping at the apartment complex into custody
Posted
Denver judge orders CBZ Management to turn over property records to Colo. AG
Edge of Lowry kidnapping home invasion in Aurora 12-17-24

AURORA, Colo. — The remaining suspect wanted by Aurora police in connection with a violent home invasion and kidnapping last year at the now-shuttered Edge of Lowry apartment complex in Aurora has been extradited to Colorado, nearly six months after his arrest in Chicago, police officials said in a news release Thursday.

The search for Jorman Jose Cuba-Zabala, 26, of Venezuela — along with two other fugitives sought by Aurora police — is one Denver7 has been reporting since February of this year.

Cuba-Zabala’s arrest marks the end of the search for all 12 suspects wanted in connection with the highly publicized incident at the troubled apartment complex, which was at the center of widespread national media attention last summer.

edge of lowry apartments_tren de aragua dec 18 2024.png

Crime

16 in custody after Aurora kidnapping believed to be Tren de Aragua members: ICE

Óscar Contreras

Aurora police said the suspect was arrested on April 28 in Chicago, after officers there responded to a report of shoplifting at a department store. Investigators said Cuba-Zabala was facing felony retail theft charges after allegedly stealing two pairs of sunglasses valued at over $800.

In Colorado, Cuba-Zabala was wanted on an active warrant out of Aurora issued by Arapahoe District Court on four charges of second-degree kidnapping, four charges of aggravated robbery, two charges of menacing with a deadly weapon and two charges of extortion — all felonies, according to a spokesperson with the Aurora Police Department (APD).

The warrant stemmed from the Dec. 17, 2024 kidnapping and home invasion of two Venezuelan immigrants inside the Edge of Lowry apartments.

The couple was allegedly beaten, robbed and tortured for hours by more than a dozen men, several of whom were later detained or arrested. Police said the men are suspected members or associates of the Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua (TdA).

  • Denver7 spoke exclusively with both victims after the suspected gang members were taken into custody. Hear them describe their ordeal in the video player below.
'I thought I was going to die': Victims recount violent kidnapping by alleged TdA members in Aurora

Following his arrest in Chicago, the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office worked on extraditing him to Colorado, which did not happen until earlier this month. The APD spokesperson said Cuba-Zavala was booked on Oct. 4 into the Arapahoe County Jail, where he remains housed on a $250,000 bond.

He has a preliminary hearing in Arapahoe County Court on Friday at 9 a.m., according to court records.

The investigation is active and ongoing, the APD spokesperson. Anyone with any information is asked to contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867. Tipsters can remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000.