Feb 18, 2008 6:48 pm US/Mountain
Family Of Thornton Murder Victims Speaks Out
THORNTON, Colo. (CBS4) ―
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Lance Leroy McDermed (booking photo on Feb. 18)
CBS
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Vera and Marco Escobedo
CBS
Thornton police said a suspect in a double homicide has turned himself in and was taken into custody without incident.
Lance McDermed is accused of shooting and killing the married couple who lived in an apartment next door from him Saturday night. It happened at the Autumn Creek apartments, off of Thornton Parkway.
Police said it's possible McDermed may have hitchhiked to Wyoming.
"He came in with his mother and step-father, who apparently had picked him up in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and brought him back here to Thornton," Matt Barnes with Thornton police said.
Police said McDermed and his neighbors, Vera and Marco Escobedo, had an ongoing dispute over parking and noise.
"I know it was not a feud. It was not an on-going feud," said Vesa Ray, Vera's sister. "It was one-way harassment because my sister and brother-in-law would not do anything to hurt anybody. They weren't angry people."
On Saturday, police said something caused McDermed to ring his neighbor's doorbell and shoot them. He then left the scene.
Police recovered McDermed's car, a maroon 1984 Chevy Cavalier, Monday afternoon. The car was located at Interstate 25 and Highway 119 after it was observed by employees at a truck stop.
Police said they have not recovered the gun used in the crime.
The family of the Vera and Marco Escobedo described them as loving, caring and optimistic. They say they are devastated by the loss. The couple has been together for about 10 years. Marco was a warehouse supervisor and Vera was just about to start a new job.
Brother-in-law to the couple, Mike Archuletta, and his two young children were eyewitnesses to the murder.
"Vera and Marco were loving, kind of people," Archuletta said. "They were soft-hearted, generous and they would anything for anybody. They were not only my son's aunt and uncle, they were also his godparents. My children should not have had to witness this incident."
McDermed is being held for investigation of two counts of first degree murder. He was transferred to the Adams County Detention Facility where he will be held without bond.
CBS4's Raj Chohan contributed to this report.
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