Denver Loft Stabbing: Homeless Man Charged With Woman's Murder

DENVER, CO -- The Denver District Attorney's office formally charged a man accused of stabbing a woman to death in her downtown loft apartment. Terry Dunford, 40, was charged with first-degree murder in the Feb. 7 death of Deanna Leslie, 49, a statement from the DA's office said.

After police reportedly found Dunford's clothing, personal papers and identification in Leslie's blood splattered apartment, Denver police started a manhunt to find Dunford, who was known to be homeless in Denver. He was located and taken into custody Feb. 16.

Leslie's body was found Feb. 14 in her apartment after her ex-husband asked police to check on her, when she missed an appointment to pick up her children at a Denver Nuggets basketball game Feb. 13, an arrest affidavit said.

Emergency personnel broke down the door of Leslie's apartment in the Rio Grande Lofts and encountered "the overwhelming smell of decomposition," according to a police affidavit. Police found bloody clothing and blood stains on the walls and floor and evidence that there had been an attempt to clean up the blood stains.

They found Leslie's body with multiple stab wounds in a bathroom wearing "a white button down shirt with blood stains." Several bloody kitchen knives were found in the apartment.

Police also found a man's size pair of cargo pants and sweatshirt with blood stains and a wallet containing several pieces of identification belonging to Dunford, including a drivers license, a Veterans Affairs and Denver Rescue Mission card issued Feb. 7. as well as a "custody report from the Wheat Ridge police department," with Dunford's name on it, the affidavit said.

Detectives quickly traced two empty six packs of beer to a liquor store receipt from Feb. 7 and, visiting the liquor store, found surveillance video around 5 p.m. showing Leslie entering the shop with a man with a goatee and the clothes matching those found in the apartment.

Family members told Denver Channel 9 that Leslie had been trying to help Dunford and another homeless man by allowing them to stay at her apartment.

“It’s a shock. It’s surreal,” said Audra Leslie, 20, told the TV station. “You don’t know where to go from here… she had four kids who are, we’re all pretty young. And you kind of need your mom in your life.”

A former veteran English teacher from San Antonio, Texas, Leslie had moved to Colorado to be close to her teen children. She been working at Banana Republic, Uber and Lyft, while she worked to build back up her teaching career in Denver, the TV station reported.

Dunford is being held without bond in Denver city jail. He is scheduled to next appear in court Feb. 22.

More from Patch:

Woman Stabbed In Denver Apartment: Denver Police Seek Suspect

Homeless Man's Clothes Found In Stabbed Mom's Denver Home: Cops

Image via Fairhaven Memorial Park Mortuary