Man arrested in connection to multiple homicides across El Paso and Pueblo counties
EL PASO CO., Colo. (KRDO) -- A man is in custody at the El Paso County Jail and charged with four counts of first-degree murder.
Authorities across multiple jurisdictions believe 21-year-old Carlos Ulises Diaz is responsible for homicides in Pueblo and El Paso Counties.
"I would say a very dangerous person," Sergeant Frank Ortega with the Pueblo Police Department said. "I don't know the exact definition of a serial killer, but if you look at the time line, this was a very short period of time when he was killing these people."
Sergeant Jason Garrett with the El Paso County Sheriff's Office echoed a similar sentiment, stopping short of saying that Diaz would be considered a serial killer.
"The big component of what I think I identify a serial killer is there's some kind of gratification or kind of satisfaction that the person gets from committing those crimes," Garrett said. "Will this particular suspect be labeled a serial killer? That hasn't been determined."
A warrant was issued for Diaz following investigations into homicides that began on April 21 and April 25.
The first investigation began in unincorporated El Paso Counties. The El Paso County Sheriff's Office says the body of Anthony Moore was found in the 20000 block of Longhorn Pt., south of the Pikes Peak International Raceway, on April 21.
A few days later, the Pueblo Police Department began its investigation into the death of Manuel Zegarelli at 10th St. and N. Hudson Ave. On the same day, Pueblo Police began investigating the homicide of Vehto Finnell-Vigil on the 100 block of E. 24th St.
Additionally, the Colorado Springs Police Department was investigating the death of an unidentified male near Airport Rd. and Murray Rd. The photo of the unidentified male is below.
CSPD is now asking the public to help identify the unnamed male victim. Police say he's possibly Hispanic and appears to be in his early to late 20s. A composite sketch of the victim shows he had an Aztec Eagle tattoo on his chest. A still image from video surveillance in Pueblo is believed to be the unidentified victim.
Authorities in both Pueblo and El Paso Counties don't believe these crimes were random and say that all of the victims were known associates of Diaz.
"This guy allegedly killed several people over several days in several different places. I don't think there is anything that would have stopped him continuing on his path if he wasn't arrested," Ortega said.
Three agencies contributed to Diaz's arrest. The El Paso County Sheriff's Office, Colorado Springs Police, and the Pueblo Police Department formed the multi-jurisdiction response to all four homicides.
"When things like this happen, it's very easy for us to blend and kind of weld together efforts because we are used to it. We do it every day," Garrett said.
If you have any information about these crimes:
To report information to the Colorado Springs Police Department, call 719-444-7000
To report information to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, call 719-520-7777
To report information to the Pueblo Police Department, call Detective Joe Cardona at 719-240-0130 or Pueblo Police Dispatch at 719-553-2502
To remain anonymous for the Pueblo PD, cases please contact Pueblo Crime Stoppers at 719-542-7867 or www.pueblocrimestoppers.com
To remain anonymous for the CSPD and El Paso Co. Sheriff's Office cases, please contact Pikes Peak Crime Stoppers at 719-634-7867.
