The Idaho Springs man suspected of killing a prestigious dog breeder and stealing his puppies pleaded guilty Monday morning.

Sergio Ferrer, 37, appeared in a Clear Creek County court Monday and pleaded guilty to a count of second-degree murder, and also to a count of robbery with a deadly weapon in connection with the death of 57-year-old Paul Peavey on Aug. 19, 2024.

Ferrer was initially facing six charges, including first-degree murder, but the other charges were dropped as part of the plea deal.

Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office deputies, along with the help of the Georgetown Police Department, arrested Ferrer on an unrelated warrant out of Nebraska for the failure to appear in court on a weapons charge in August 2024.

A few days later, charges were filed against Ferrer in connection to the death of Peavey, which occurred on Aug. 19. 

Peavey, a well-known Doberman breeder, was initially reported missing on Aug. 21. He was last heard from on Aug. 19. 

With the help of a search party, investigators found the camper in which Peavey lived on Aug. 22. The door of the camper was open and two adult Dobermans were found on the property. Peavey was not found and the dogs were taken to a nearby shelter, according to Ferrer’s arrest affidavit.

Bruce Boynton, Peavey’s friend, lead the search party. He found Peavey dead about 30 yards from the camper. Peavey’s body was partially covered in branches and rocks and the ground looked as if he had been dragged to the area, according to the affidavit.

Members of the search party told police the Ferrer’s daughter had been selling Doberman puppies on Facebook, which Peavey had previously been selling for around $4,500 each.

Boynton also noted that he called Peavey’s phone after he had gone missing and spoke to a man with a “fake accent,” according to arrest records. Boynton believed the man to be Ferrer.

A group of up to 19 puppies, money, jewelry, metal detecting equipment and other valuables were stolen from the camper. 

Witnesses told investigators that they had seen Ferrer with two puppies and a local veterinarian said they saw a puppy with a microchip addressed to Peavey. The owner said she bought the puppy from a woman on Aug. 21, two days after the shooting.

Following a search warrant being served on Ferrer’s residence, deputies found jewelry identified as Peavey’s, a SIG Sauer 9mm handgun, four metal detectors, a safe, clothes with possible blood on them, a cellphone with Peavey’s name on it and other items said to belong to the victim.

Ferrer initially claimed he was attempting to purchase a puppy from Peavey, then he claimed to have come to the camper and saw the door open and the place disheveled. 

“I saw an opportunity, yes,” Ferrer said in an interview, according to the affidavit. “I saw an opportunity to take some stuff and put money in my pocket, but I didn’t do nothing to Paul.”

The suspect later claimed Peavey worked for a cartel and used his home as a stash house. He claimed that Peavey attempted to shoot him on Aug. 19 at the camper and Ferrer defended himself over a dispute about missing drugs, not puppies.

“Paul had no affiliation with any sort of organization like that. Zero affiliation,” Boynton told The Denver Gazette. “He was a great guy. He’d give you the shirt off his back. Probably one of the best dog trainers to walk the face of the earth.” 

Ferrer’s wife, Ana Ferrer, was also arrested in Nebraska in March and charged as an accessory to both robbery and theft and tampering with physical evidence. She later pleaded guilty to one count of accessory to a crime and one count of misdemeanor theft in September and received a deferred sentence.

Ferrer is scheduled for sentencing on Jan. 12.