DENVER (KDVR) — The Denver Police Department said three suspects have been identified in the murder of a 17-year-old girl in late March last year.
Two of the three suspects were already incarcerated for unrelated crimes when the arrest warrants were issued. Shiloh Fresquez, 21, was arrested on Jan. 3 and formally charged by the Denver District Attorney’s Office with accessory to a crime of first-degree murder and attempt to influence a public servant.
DPD said detectives formally arrested Robert Adam Solano, 34, for investigation of first-degree murder on Jan. 17. Joseph Thomas Chavez, 26, was formally arrested on charges of investigation of accessory to a crime of first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse.
17-year-old found dead in 2022 shooting
An arrest affidavit gives more details about what led to the arrests.
On March 26, at approximately 12:30 p.m., officers responded to a call of an unresponsive female in the 1500 block alley between North Poplar and North Quebec streets. The body of 17-year-old Jasmine Rivas-Hernandez was discovered and she was declared dead on scene. The investigation and coroner confirmed that Rivas-Hernandez died from multiple gunshot wounds. Surveillance video showed a black pickup truck that was possibly involved in the incident.
The document said that police received an anonymous tip that Fresquez knew something about Rivas-Hernandez’s death.
On April 6, Lakewood Police responded to a disturbance call involving Fresquez and Chavez. Fresquez was taken to the station for questioning and provided some information that was redacted on the affidavit.
On April 12, Lakewood Police discovered the black Honda Ridgeline truck, which matched the description of the suspect vehicle involved in the incident, while they were following a fugitive. The driver was arrested on an outstanding warrant for first-degree burglary but claimed to not know anything about Rivas-Hernandez’s death.
Officers found possible bullet defects in the front passenger door and the driver’s side backseat of the Ridgeline, according to the document. The truck was impounded and investigated. Blood and more bullet defects were discovered and the crime unit dusted it for fingerprints. Prints from the passenger door matched those of Chavez, thus linking him to the vehicle. Additional testing linked DNA found in the truck to Rivas-Hernandez.
When detectives investigated the communication between Chavez and Fresquez, they discovered the connection to the third suspect, Solano, according to the affidavit. Fresquez mentioned in social media messages that Solano was the one who shot Rivas-Hernandez. They also found out she was possibly involved in a romantic relationship with Solano.
The affidavit said that Fresquez and Solano were communicating with each other before and after the murder. Further investigation put Solano’s cell phone location with Fresquez’s cell phone location around the time and location of the murder. Detectives then determined Fresquez had provided false information when she was previously interviewed in Lakewood and did know the driver and passenger in the Honda Ridgeline attached to the incident.
Solano arrested in Lakewood car wash murder
Solano is already incarcerated in a separate homicide.
On July 31, Lakewood police responded to a call in the area of West Colfax Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard on reports of a shooting. When police arrived, they found 27-year-old Ramon Castro Contreras of Denver dead in the driver seat of his car at a car wash located at 1433 Sheridan Blvd.
Police said two men and two teens circled Castro Contreras’ car and one attempted to get in when he took off. Shots were fired at the car and it came to a stop about 300 feet away.
Solano was arrested on charges of:
- Second-degree murder – felony murder
- Attempted aggravated robbery
- Aggravated motor vehicle theft
- Tampering with evidence of a felony crime
- Vehicular eluding
- Possession of a weapon by a previous offender
- Reckless driving
Chavez live-streamed from Jeffco cell in 2018
FOX31 has previously covered a criminal case involving suspect Chavez.
While Chavez was an inmate at the Jefferson County jail, he live-streamed to Facebook with a smartphone from inside his cell in September of 2018. Chavez was in jail on a charge of criminal trespassing on a motor vehicle and ended up facing additional charges of theft and introduction of contraband after the livestream incident.
He is currently in jail. FOX31 reached out to DPD to find out what he is currently incarcerated for and will update this post when we receive a response.
The Denver District Attorney’s office will make the final determination of charges against Solano and Chavez.
