Suspect with extensive criminal history identified in deadly stabbing spree along 16th Street Mall
DENVER, Colo. (KRDO) – The man arrested in connection to four random stabbing attacks along Denver's 16th Street Mall over the weekend, two of which were fatal, has been identified.
Denver Police say they believe 24-year-old Elijah Caudill is behind the stabbing spree, which began at around 5 p.m. on Jan. 11 near Tremont Street. Within an hour, three people had been stabbed, one fatally.
The next night at around 8 p.m., another man was fatally stabbed near Wynkoop Street, close to Union Station. Just moments after that stabbing, police spotted Caudill, who fit the suspect description, running with a knife.
The motive for the stabbing spree remains unclear, police said. Caudill does not appear to have any connection to the victims.
According to our Denver news partner, Caudill's criminal history documents a troubled past, consisting of multiple arrests for assault and criminal mischief. Notably, he had been released from the downtown Denver jail just two months before the stabbing.
In 2021, Caudill pleaded guilty to assault after prosecutors say he threatened a property manager with a knife. He was arrested at least four times in 2024, including one arrest for groping a woman at a detox facility.
According to our Denver news partner, while Caudill was in the Denver Jail for the latter case, he faced three more misdemeanor arrests after allegedly assaulting two inmates and shattering a glass door at the jail.
Caudill is now under investigation for first-degree murder, first degree murder of an at-risk elder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder in connection to the stabbings.
