A 72-year-old Nebraska man was arrested on suspicion of murder in the 2007 stabbing death of a Frederick mom, Colorado Bureau of Investigation officials said Tuesday.
Jessica Bejarano, 25, was found dead in the bathroom of her home in the 7900 block of Larkspur Circle on April 6, 2007, with a stab wound to the chest.
Her 4-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son were also home at the time, according to CBI.
Investigators initially looked at several suspects, including Bejarano’s husband, but later cleared him from involvement after they confirmed he was at work at the time of her death.
Police identified former maintenance worker Darrell Lee Burklund as a suspect in the cold case through DNA evidence, state officials said. Burklun was 54 at the time of Bejarano’s death.
Investigators interviewed Burklund on Friday in York, Nebraska and then arrested him on suspicion of second-degree murder.
He is set for an extradition hearing in Nebraska on Wednesday.
Bejarano’s mother, Cece Merrow, in a statement thanked CBI’s cold case team, Agent Kevin Koback and Director Chris Shaefer, who was one of the original agents assigned to the case.
“We never gave up hope,” Merrow said. “…There were so many twists and turns in her case, but we always had faith in the CBI.”
This is a developing story and may be updated.
Sign up to get crime news sent straight to your inbox each day.