The Lakewood Police Department arrested a man in connection to the burglary-turned-homicide of an elderly woman last week.

Arthur Joseph Maestas IV, 41, appeared in front of Jefferson County Judge Jennifer Melton Friday morning, rubbing his temples and looking downward at the podium. Maestas continued to shake his head as his public defender, Zulfi Wafai, spoke for him.

Maestas’ case was immediately moved to district court due to the severity of the crime that occurred on Dec. 6.

Police responded to 300 S. Kendall St. — in a cul-de-sac next to West Alameda Avenue — around 7 p.m. Dec. 6 after a woman reported that her mother was found lying on her bed with burns, according to arrest records.

The victim, 83-year-old Elizabeth Johnson, was found facedown on her bed. She was dead on arrival.

A window to the home was found broken, and there were “strong signs of rummaging or ransacking,” according to the arrest records.

Along with the burn marks on Johnson, four other burn spots were found throughout the house, including a burned glove next to the bed. The home’s smoke detector had been disconnected and the basement flooded, as well.

Jewelry was also found scattered throughout the home and yard.

Johnson’s autopsy found that she had likely been strangled, with broken bones and torn cartilage in her neck, according to records. The official autopsy has not been released by the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office. A spokesperson told The Denver Gazette it would likely be six months.

DNA testing on the glove connected to Maestas, who has an extensive burglary history in Colorado.

Maestas has six convictions since 2004, including four counts of burglary and two assaults, according to arrest records. He was on parole at the time of the suspected murder.

The suspect was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of first-degree murder, first-degree arson, first-degree burglary and violating parole. He is scheduled to be charged by the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office on Dec. 17.

“We cannot control everything but we can build a community that is harder to harm,” Desirée González, a nearby resident, told The Denver Gazette. “Safety is visibility, light, relationships and awareness. When yards that back up to major roads are well lit, when neighbors know each other and when we check on people instead of assuming someone else will do it, we reduce the chance of a crime of opportunity.”