DENVER — The 49-year-old man accused of killing a woman at a hotel on W. Colfax Avenue on Jan. 21 has been formally charged with murder.
On Friday afternoon, Denver District Attorney Beth McCann announced that Israel Casarez had been charged with one count of first-degree murder during an advisement hearing earlier in the day.
Police responded to the Western Hills hotel at W. Colfax Avenue and Zenobia Street on the evening of Jan. 21 after several people called 911 to report that a man armed with a knife was breaking windows, according to the district attorney's office. Callers also reported seeing blood through one of the windows.
When police entered one of the hotel rooms, they found Dina Casias, 54, had been stabbed multiple times in the chest. She was unresponsive and paramedics pronounced her deceased at the scene, according to the district attorney's office.
Police found Casarez in the same room, standing behind a door. He had a large knife in his hand. Police took him into custody.
No other details on the case were available as of Friday afternoon.