In the late summer of 2018, the life of 39-year-old Jerome Coronado was tragically cut short in Denver, Colorado. On the morning of August 9th, he, along with his wife Nicole Boston, 28, and another man, Christopher Zamudio, 45, were discovered shot to death near a light rail station on South Broadway. The three, who were experiencing homelessness at the time, had been sleeping when they were attacked.
The Denver Office of the Medical Examiner later confirmed that all three victims died from gunshot wounds in what was ruled a triple homicide.
The investigation into the killings revealed a grim story of fear and debt. In the weeks leading up to his death, Coronado and Boston had been trying to hide from a man known on the street as 'Khaos.' They owed him a drug debt estimated to be between $100 and $200. Witnesses later told police that Coronado had been seen with a black eye and had confided that 'Khaos' had beaten him over his wife's debt. The couple had reportedly left their usual spot at Civic Center Park to a more secluded area in an attempt to avoid him.
The breakthrough in the case came with the identification of the suspect as Maurice Butler. Investigators were aided by a crucial piece of evidence: a GPS ankle monitor that Butler was required to wear as a condition of his parole. The data from the device placed him at the scene of the murders at the time they were committed. Butler was arrested in September 2018 and charged with three counts of first-degree murder.
In July 2019, Maurice Butler was found guilty on all three counts of first-degree murder. The motive for the killing of Christopher Zamudio was not clearly established during the investigation. Butler was subsequently sentenced to three consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. Jerome Coronado and Nicole Boston were married and left behind two children.
