In the Sunnyside neighborhood of Denver, a grim discovery was made on a Friday morning in November 2016, shattering the quiet of the community. Inside a house near 42nd and Tejon, the body of 35-year-old Zach Chavez, a male, was found. The cause of his death was a shooting. Neighbors were abruptly awakened by the flashing lights of police cars and the sight of crime tape cordoning off the residence.
As the investigation began, officers assured residents that there was no ongoing threat to the neighborhood.
The house where Chavez was found had a reputation among locals. Some described it as a 'crash house,' a place frequented by a transient crowd with lots of people coming and going at all hours. While police initially focused their attention on a nearby tire shop, their investigation soon centered on the home where detectives and crime lab technicians spent the day gathering evidence. The activity was a stark contrast to the normally peaceful streets of the neighborhood.
The investigation progressed quickly, and by the afternoon of the same day, an arrest was made in connection with the deadly shooting. Police took Robert Moore into custody. He was subsequently held on a charge of first-degree murder, bringing a swift, if not entirely clarifying, development to the tragic death of Zach Chavez. The community was left to grapple with the violence that had unfolded in their midst and the loss of a man whose life was cut short within the walls of a troubled home.
