9NEWS received a tip on Monday night that police in Aurora were looking at an SUV at an apartment building that matched the description of the suspect's vehicle.
Police announced early Tuesday morning they had made an arrest in the case around 10:30 p.m. Monday night. They arrested 45-year-old Andrew Simpson in the 1600 block of Hanover Street in Aurora.
He is facing charges of vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of an accident involving death. He is being held at Denver City Jail without bond, and his first court appearance is Wednesday morning. Denver Police are not releasing Simpson's mug shot as the investigation is ongoing.
According to dispatch records from RadioReference.com, a call came into Aurora police around 8:53 p.m.. The caller tells an Aurora police dispatcher he saw the jeep police have been looking for near Colfax and Havana.
"I'm guessing that it's possibly related to what he thinks is the hit and run that occurred in Denver this week," the dispatcher told a responding police officer.
It only took officers a few minutes to realize they had something.
"We definitely need Denver down here. It looks like this is going to be the vehicle and we've got the suspect for that pedestrian hit and run," an unidentified officer tells the dispatcher.
Simpson has an extensive criminal background dating back to 1993, including charges of assault, trespassing, disturbing the peace, domestic violence, larceny, controlled-substance possession, failure to appear, parole violation and numerous fugitive from justice convictions.
Edward Goodwin says he cannot forgive himself for not being able to help Simpson.
"I experienced the drugs," Goodwin told 9NEWS. "I experienced the theft. I experienced him searching for himself and not knowing what to do with himself."
Goodwin and Simpson lived together on-and-off since 1995.
Goodwin says Simpson moved in with him in 1995 after a friend introduced them. He was homeless at the time, so Goodwin let him life in his basement.
"I often describe him as a good person inside of that body, no matter what he's done [or] he's doing. Inside of him, there is a good person," Goodwin said.
Goodwin even paid for Simpson to go to rehab twice.
"I guess I'm one of those true humanitarians. If I can help you, I can and I try. It didn't work. It makes me feel like a failure because I couldn't help him," Goodwin told 9NEWS.
Goodwin says he kicked Simpson out in November 2011 right before Thanksgiving.
"I didn't like the way he was carrying his life ... he was going downhill. I couldn't get him to do the right thing," Goodwin told 9NEWS. "It's very sad. He was more than just a friend. He was a family member in our hearts. That's the feeling I'll have from now on [that] I couldn't save him ... couldn't save him from himself."
Police had been searching for a maroon or dark red 2000 to 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Sunday, investigators seized an SUV based on another tip in Aurora.
Sonny Jackson, a spokesman for Denver Police, says while the vehicle matched the description, it was not the vehicle that hit and killed 24-year-old Masoud Bahramisharif.
Bahramisharif was in the crosswalk with his bike last Thursday, walking near Evans and University, when police say a dark red or a maroon SUV hit him.
The impact eventually killed the engineering student from Iran.
Justin Huff, Bahramisharif's friend, told 9NEWS Monday he wants to keep the story in the news, so people will either come forward or someone reports the car.
"I know culturally this is not closure for the family," Huff said. "Masoud is gone, there is no way around that for them. As an American, for me, I feel this guy or a woman needs to serve the time in prison, period. For me that's closure. For them it's different."
Bahramisharif's mother took his body back to Iran this morning for a burial in their home country.
9NEWS requested statistics for the car crashes at the intersection where the crash occurred.
The city said for 2010, 2011, and 2012 through June 1, a total of 86 crashes occurred at the intersection. Eight were hit and runs.
One crash involved a car versus a bike. 85 crashes involved a car versus car.
Colorado is working on a harsher punishment for people who run from the scene of an accident after injuring people.
This week, House Bill 12-1084 is expected to be signed into law by the Governor. The law will take affect Aug. 7.
"If the incident involves somebody suffering a serious bodily injury, that increases the possible penalty," said Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey.
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