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Denver cold case closed: Man who killed girlfriend in 1990s sentenced to prison

cold case murder suspect

A 58-year-old man was sentenced Friday to 20 years in prison for the murder of his girlfriend nearly 24 years ago. 

Crespin Nene-Perez pled guilty to one count of second-degree murder in the death of Bonny Baker, 47, earlier this year, according to the Denver District Attorney’s Office.

“Violent crime cold cases are among the most challenging cases we handle,” said Denver District Attorney Beth McCann in a news release. “Justice may be delayed, but it is rarely denied.”

Baker was first reported missing on June 30, 1998. Her remains were eventually recovered the following year in a shallow grave on the Navajo tribal grounds in New Mexico after being found by two boys riding horses in the remote area, according to the district attorney’s office.

The initial investigation was ruled a cold case until the Denver Police Department reopened its homicide investigation in October 2012.

Forensic testing and evidence collected after continue interviews with witnesses provided enough grounds to arrests Nene-Perez. He was living in Mexico when charges were filed and was extradited to Denver in 2020.

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