DENVER — A man pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder last week in a Denver cold case homicide, the Denver District Attorney's Office said Thursday.
Nicholas Lujan, 29, was accused of shooting and killing Jose Frias-Olivas in 2015, according to the Denver District Attorney's Office. Frias-Olivas, 61, was shot and killed on the morning of Aug. 15, 2015, in Harvard Gulch Park, according to police.
“This was a horrific murder, and I am very proud of our Cold Case Unit and that of the Denver Police Department for working long and hard to get justice for Mr. Frias-Olivas,” said Denver District Attorney Beth McCann.
In September 2016, investigators collected DNA from the murder weapon's magazine that belonged to Lujan as well as DNA from others, according to the District Attorney's office. Lujan was identified as a possible suspect in the case.
According to the District Attorney's office, witnesses were not forthcoming which meant investigators spent several years conducting an extensive investigation based on digital evidence.
Lujan was arrested in 2021 and charged in connection to Frias-Olivas' murder. He pleaded guilty on Friday and is scheduled to be sentenced June 9.
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