DENVER — The man accused of killing three people including his aunt and a young boy in northeast Denver has at least three prior felony convictions for things like robbery and theft, according to court records obtained by 9Wants to Know.
Elijah Jaquez Hood, 24, who has five prior arrests on felony charges, is now being held on suspicion of three counts of first-degree murder in relation to the triple homicide that occurred on April 26 at an apartment in the 5900-block of North Dunkirk Street, which is just north of the Green Valley Ranch neighborhood.
Denise Hood, 65, Donne Allen Jr., 22, and Me'Khi Parham Allen, 4 – were each shot multiple times and pronounced dead at the scene, the PC statement says.
Police said they believe Denise Hood is Elijah Hood's aunt.
9Wants to Know obtained numerous court case records which reveal Elijah Hood has five felony arrests on his record, beginning with two when he was a juvenile. In those cases, he has at least three felony convictions for robbery, theft, and felon in possession of a weapon.
Due to those prior convictions, he could not legally own a gun.
Someone called 911 just before 6 p.m. on April 26 and said they walked into the apartment and found the victims on the floor with blood on them, according to the PC statement.
A woman said she had been dropped off for a celebration and went into the apartment in building 5 and found the victims, the document says. She reported that she left immediately and called the person who had dropped her off and asked them to come back.
That person came back and also went into the apartment, the PC statement says. When they saw the victims and they immediately called 911.
Investigators believe the entire shooting took place inside the apartment because that was the only location where they found bullet casings. Evidence from the scene also suggested, according to the PC statement, that the suspect was inside the apartment prior to the start of the shooting.
A witness told police she heard a gunshot and saw a Black man wearing a black hoodie with the hood up and black sweats exit the northeast stairwell of building 5, the PC statement says. She reported that the man got into a gold sedan and that she saw the sedan leave going westbound on East 60th Avenue, according to the document.
Multiple Crime Stoppers tips were submitted which identified Elijah Hood as a possible suspect, police said. All of the tippers referred to him as "EJ."
Detectives observed the cellphone of one of the victims and found messages exchanged with a person named EJ made around 2 p.m. on April 26, according to the PC statement. During that exchange, EJ explained that he was not feeling well because he had smoked "too much weed," and would not be able to come over, the PC statement says. The conversation was just hours before the murders, but the original invitation was not in the message thread, the document says.
One tipper who reported that EJ was responsible for the shooting said he had recently gone to Atlanta with Donne Allen, one of the shooting victims, the PC statement says. That person reported that EJ returned from the trip a few days early and believed that Donne Allen and EJ were fighting about something, according to the document.
The tipper also reported that EJ had forced the owner of the gold sedan, which was used as a getaway car, to go with him "against her will," the PC statement says.
Police announced last week that a reward of up to $10,000 was being offered for information on the shooting.
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