Arrest made in 2007 killing of young Colorado mom, officials say. ‘Always had faith’
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An arrest has been made in the cold case killing of a young Colorado mom, officials said.
Darrell Burklund is in custody in Nebraska and “will face an extradition hearing this Wednesday before he can be transported back to Colorado to face charges,” the Colorado Bureau of Investigation said in a March 18 news release.
Defense attorney information for Burklund wasn’t immediately available March 18.
The arrest comes just shy of 18 years after Jessica Bejarano, 25, was found with a stab wound to her chest in her bathroom in Frederick, officials said. Her two young children were home, according to officials.
“Initially, investigators looked at various suspects, including the victim’s husband, who was later cleared as he was determined to be at work during the time of the crime,” according to officials.
“Investigators ultimately obtained DNA evidence that subsequently yielded a potential match to” Burklund, a former maintenance worker, officials said, and he was arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder after being interviewed March 14.
Officials didn’t provide more details.
Chris Schaefer, director of the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, or CBI, described the arrest as “the culmination of years of tireless work by our investigators for the unwavering pursuit of justice for Jessica Bejarano and her family,” per the release.
Bejarano’s mother, Cece Merrow, said the family is grateful.
“We never gave up hope,” she said in the release, adding that “there were so many twists and turns in her case, but we always had faith in the CBI.”
Frederick is about a 30-mile drive north from Denver.
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