81-year-old Englewood man accused of murdering wife, daughter with ax
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Englewood police arrested an 81-year-old man in connection with the murders of his wife and adult daughter Saturday.
At 6:03 p.m. Saturday, 81-year-old Reginald Maclaren called the Englewood Police Department, saying his wife and adult daughter had been murdered using a hammer and that he knew who the suspect was, according to a Tuesday news release.
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Responding officers found Maclaren and the two victims in the apartment at 901 Englewood Parkway near South Santa Fe Boulevard and Hampden Avenue.
Both victims had “substantial” injuries and their bodies were inside large trashcans on the floor of the living room and kitchen area, according to the release. They showed no signs of life.
Investigators determined that both victims were killed with an ax and one was dismembered with a saw, according to the release.
Detectives established probable cause to arrest Maclaren on charges of murder.
According to an arrest affidavit from Englewood Police, Maclaren told police he had recently been terminated from his job and frequently dealt with people who were experiencing homelessness, so he didn’t want his family to go through that, according to Denver Gazette’s news partner 9News.
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Maclaren said he struck his wife and daughter in their heads with an ax while they were sitting on the couch Saturday morning, according to the affidavit. Once they were unconscious, he struck them two more times and put their bodies in the trash cans.
Maclaren told police he had recently purchased the trash cans, ax and a saw, and he said he “fully intended” to use those items to kill his family. He also told police that he “does not regret” killing his family because he “knows they are in a better place,” the affidavit says, according to 9News.
Maclaren’s hearing advisement will happen this week in Arapahoe County District Court.
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