Denver man confesses to murder of neighbor 36 years later

DENVER — A man who described in detail how he killed his neighbor in 1988 is currently sitting in jail and charged with first-degree murder, according to court documents.

Search warrant and arrest records show David William Lucero, now 55 years old, described to investigators how he hit his neighbor Edward Roy Chase with a pole then strangled and stabbed him with scissors. 

“He initially stated he recalled going to the victim’s house to borrow cigarettes. However, he later admitted he went to the victim’s home with the intent of seeing if there was anything of value to steal,” investigators wrote in a probable case statement against Lucero. 

Lucero was 17 years old at the time of the murder and Chase was 53 when the two lived in the same neighborhood near the 1300 block of South Acoma Street. 

Investigators found Chase strangled and stabbed to death in his home on July 12, 1988, after coworkers called police because he didn’t show up to work. 

Records say Lucero came forward with the confession this past July because he was just released from prison and wanted “protection.” 

The specific descriptions Lucero gave to investigators about the murder scene and method he used to kill Chase prompted police to pull evidence, police reports and obtain a DNA sample from Lucero. 

A day after investigators took a DNA sample from Lucero, he was charged with first-degree murder on Aug. 7 and has been in jail under a $1 million bond since then. 

Lucero told investigators he found a pole near the train tracks, entered Chase’s home and then hit him several times. After tying him up and strangling him, Lucero described stabbing him several times with scissors. 

The autopsy report obtained by 9NEWS also describes how the coroner at the time recovered a “sharp gray metal fragment” from Chase’s body. 

Records indicate police found scissors at the scene with a missing tip along with a pole next to the body. 

Lucero told investigators he took a pistol from the victim’s home and sold it to his heroin dealer for $200 after the murder. 

Investigators also noted in their narratives that Chase was living under an assumed identity of Edward James Peterson, however they didn’t reveal why the victim was using a different name at the time. 

Lucero is expected in court next month. 

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