Second victim in 16th Street Mall stabbing was a homeless man who used a wheelchair
The second victim killed in the 16th Street Mall stabbings has been identified by the Denver Office of the Medical Examiner.
Nicholas Burkett, 34, was attacked just after 8 p.m. on Jan. 12 near the intersection of 16th Street and Wynkoop Street — around a block from Union Station, according to the medical examiner.
Several people who work in the Union Station area said Burkett was homeless and used a wheelchair to get around. He was frequently seen in the area.
One other person died and two others were injured in the stabbing spree that occurred in downtown between Saturday and Sunday.
Elijah Caudill, 24, was arrested in connected to the four stabbings. He is being held in the Denver County Jail without bond. Murder charges are expected to be filed this week, according to new Denver District Attorney John Walsh.
A few more details emerged on Wednesday about how the police caught the suspect.
The arrest affidavit said that at 8:06 p.m. on Sunday, Denver police officers were in the area of 16th and Wynkoop when they saw a man in his 20s with a “large knife in his hands.” The officers pursued the suspect, who “dropped the knife and was taken into custody.”
The officers suspected the knife was covered in blood.
Police found Burkett shortly after on the ground at 16th and Wynkoop. He had been stabbed in the back.
He was taken to Denver Health Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 8:45 p.m.
The other victim, 71-year-old Celinda Levno, was fatally stabbed on Saturday. She was attacked around 5:17 p.m. in the area of 16th and California streets and was brought to Denver Health. She died on Sunday morning, the Denver Police Department said.
Levno was a Phoenix-based flight attendant with American Airlines on a layover in the city.
Two other people were injured in the four attacks in about 26 hours.
The motivation for the attacks remains unclear. Investigators believe it’s random and there’s no known connection between the suspect and the victims, the police said.