DENVER — A jury has convicted a man for the murder of a woman who died about two weeks after he assaulted her in a Denver parking garage.
Randy Housch, 61, was found guilty Wednesday on five felony charges including first-degree murder and attempted sexual assault, in connection with the death of Gertrude "Birdie" Seawalker in 2021.
On July 17, 2021, Seawalker approached someone who was eating breakfast at a café on East Colfax Avenue near North Monroe Street. That person called 911 out of concern for Seawalker because she had blood on her and her face appeared swollen, according to an arrest affidavit from the Denver Police Department.
Due to her injuries, she was unable to communicate what had happened to her, the affidavit says. She was taken to a hospital and found to have significant injuries that included bleeding on her brain. She died as a result of her injuries on July 30, 2021.
Investigators later found video of Seawalker's assault and noted that her injuries appeared to be consistent with what was seen in the video, the arrest affidavit says.
Video from a nearby business showed Seawalker entering a parking garage just after midnight on July 17. A man, recognized by police as Housch, followed her into the first floor of the garage, court documents say.
Housch was seen leaving the garage around 8:23 a.m., the affidavit says. Seawalker left about three minutes later and walked up to the café immediately after leaving the garage.
Police interviewed Housch on Aug. 12. At the time, Housch positively identified himself and Seawalker in the video footage that showed them entering the garage, the affidavit says.
When he was told that Seawalker had died, he denied he was responsible and brought up Seawalker's medical history and claimed she had a history of falling.
Housch was convicted of five of the seven charges he faced. Sentencing is set for Jan. 10.
