DNA findings lead to arrest in double homicide of Fremont County couple
FREMONT COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO)--A Fremont County man is in jail and facing a double murder charge connected to an incident in Howard, Colorado.
The Fremont County Sheriff's Office said a DNA match is what led to the person who killed an elderly couple from Howard.
Fremont County Sheriff Allen Cooper said thanks to investigators from the State Evidence Lab, they're one step closer to getting justice for Carl and Susan Cooper.
"Now historically, DNA takes several months. It can take up to 18 months," said Cooper.
This all started on the morning of December 21st, 2022 when Fremont County deputies were dispatched to a house fire in Howard.
"And there was an individual on scene who appeared to be having some sort of psychotic break. He was disheveled," said Cooper.
Sheriff Cooper said that man is Eric Michael Escobedo. That day, he was rushed to the hospital for skin burns related to the fire. Then deputies started searching the area asking neighbors if they'd seen anything suspicious
"And it was during one of those canvases that a deputy came across a couple that had suffered. They were deceased and it appeared to be a crime scene," said Cooper.
Inside a nearby home, deputies discovered the bodies of an elderly couple. They started medical treatment, but it was too late for 83-year-old Carl Cooper and 75-year-old Susan Cooper.
"Almost immediately, Mr. Escobedo became a suspect in those homicides," Cooper.
The sheriff's office took evidence from the home and sent off DNA samples to the Colorado Bureau of Investigations. 60 days later, the CBI gave the sheriff's office the break they needed to make an arrest.
"They turned this DNA testing around faster than I've ever seen," said Cooper.
Ecobedo's DNA matched what deputies sent to the lab. The Fremont County Sheriff's Office arrested Escobedo on March 31st and he is now facing two first-degree murder charges.
Escobedo is currently being held at the Fremont County Jail on a $2 million cash-only bond.
