DENVER (KDVR) — Friends have identified one of two victims in a double stabbing early Wednesday morning in Denver.
According to multiple friends and coworkers, 49-year-old Jennifer Gelvin Rouse was killed in that stabbing.
Matthew Madden, 36, was arrested at the scene and is facing two charges of first-degree murder.
Rouse was a vocal instructor at Denver’s School of Rock, according to owner Jim Johnson.
“She was really, really just great at working with the younger kids, helping instill a love of music, helping them find their voice,” says Johnson.
Johnson says Rouse’s two children also went to the school for music. Friends say their father, Keith Rouse, passed away earlier this month from a heart attack.
“I can’t imagine what they’re going through now, and it’s absolutely devastating,” says Ali Frankfurt. “And the outpouring is, how are we going to help these children?”
Frankfurt played alongside Rouse in a band more than a decade ago and says Rouse recently was part of the Fabulous Boogienauts.
“So I saw her as kind of this teacher to these little preschool kids, but let me tell you, at night, Jenn was this wild funk singer, and an uber-talented funk singer.”
A GoFundMe has been set up for the kids following the deaths of both parents.