In a quiet neighborhood in Aurora, Colorado, the afternoon of March 19, 2015, was shattered by an act of violence that claimed the life of Lupe Michael Salas. A 46-year-old male, Salas was at a home in the 1400 block of Lima Street when a dispute escalated into a fatal shooting. First responders arrived at the residence shortly after 4 p.m. to find Salas suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
He was rushed to a nearby hospital, but his injuries proved to be too severe, and he was pronounced dead.
The investigation into the shooting quickly led Aurora police to a suspect, Manuel Lee Abrams, who was 46 years old at the time. Abrams was taken into custody on the same day as the incident. Authorities indicated that an altercation had occurred between Salas and Abrams, though the specific nature of their relationship and the catalyst for the deadly confrontation were not publicly detailed. The arrest affidavit, which would have contained much of the evidence against Abrams, was sealed by the court.
Following his arrest, Manuel Lee Abrams was booked into the Arapahoe County Jail and held without bond. He was subsequently charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of Lupe Salas. In a court appearance in September 2015, Abrams entered a plea of not guilty. A judge, after reviewing the evidence presented in a preliminary hearing, determined there was sufficient cause for the case to proceed to trial. The court also granted a request from the prosecution to prohibit Abrams from contacting one of the witnesses in the case.
