In the early morning hours of September 5, 2015, Darren Bloomquist, a 49-year-old male, was working his shift as a Metro Taxi driver in Denver, Colorado. An Air Force veteran, he had taken the job to help support his disabled wife. Shortly after being dispatched for a fare in the Green Valley Ranch neighborhood, he was shot and killed in his cab in what appeared to be a robbery.
His taxi was later found by homeowners after it crashed into a parked vehicle.
The investigation into Bloomquist's murder led Denver police to identify suspects through a cellphone that was used to summon his cab that morning. This crucial piece of evidence led to an arrest. Though an initial arrest of a teenager was made, he was not ultimately charged in the case. Further investigation led to the identification of three other individuals involved in the fatal robbery.
Authorities formally charged Dasean Perry, who was 19 at the time, and Nicholas McKinney, who was 17 but charged as an adult, with first-degree felony murder. A third individual, Christian Willis, also a juvenile at the time of the crime, was later sentenced for his role in the robbery-gone-wrong. It was determined that while all three were involved in the plan to rob the taxi driver, Dasean Perry was the one who fired the shot that killed Darren Bloomquist. All three were subsequently sentenced for their involvement in the crime.
