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30-year anniversary of one of Denver's most notorious crimes

Four security guards were shot to death during the robbery of the United Bank in downtown Denver. The case remains unsolved.

DENVER — The Father's Day armed robberies and murders at the United Bank building were one of the biggest crimes in Denver history. 

Wednesday marks 30 years since it happened. A man was charged and tried for the crime, yet acquitted. 

Here's a look back at the robbery. Watch the video above for a look back at the crime with perspectives from two men who were on different sides of the courtroom. 

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Sunday, June 16, 1991: 

It was Father's Day. The United Bank building (now the Wells Fargo Center) on Lincoln Street in downtown Denver was closed, but several employees were still working and counting money from recent armored car deliveries. 

At around 9 a.m., a man posing as a bank vice president — and wearing a hat, mustache and sunglasses — made his way into the building. Over the next hour or so, that man would kill four unarmed security guards and steal approximately $200,000 from the bank's vault.

> Video below from 1991: Four security guards killed in United Bank heist on June 16, 1991.

July 4,1991: 

Police arrest James King, a former Denver Police officer who also once worked at United Bank as a security guard. No physical evidence linking King to the robbery or murders was found during the search of King's home in Golden. 

> Video below from 1991: James King arrested in connection with the robbery and murders at United Bank in 1991.

May 19, 1992: 

King's trial begins. 

King was charged with first-degree murder and aggravated robbery. The case is mostly circumstantial, focusing in part on King's knowledge of the United Bank building. The trial lasted for nearly a month. 

> Video below from 1992: Opening statements in James King's trial.

June 17, 1992:

 King is found not guilty of all charges.

May 21, 2013: 

King dies of dementia. He lived until his death in Golden. He was 77 years old.

June 16, 2021:

The murders and robbery remain unsolved. None of the money stolen from United Bank has ever been recovered.  

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