Aurora mother pleads for justice in Christmas Eve double homicide

Aurora Police hope a mother's plea for justice and the offer of a reward lead to answers in a Christmas Eve double homicide case.

"A mother should not have to bury a child," said Art Acevedo, Aurora's interim police chief.

It was around 12:30 a.m. Christmas Eve when Neykea Brown and Katon Hutt were shot to death at Hutt's apartment on the 1500 block of South Boston Street in Aurora.

Police believe one of two suspects captured on surveillance knocked on the door and were inside for several minutes before multiple shots were fired and screams were reported.

"To the person or persons that took my daughter's life, I want you to know that when you took her life, you took a part of mine as well," said Ethel Goodrich, Brown's mother.

Brown spoke to reporters on Monday, saying her daughter was a mother who loved her children and had a caretaker nature.

While she and Hutt were close friends, Hutt was also legally blind and says Brown helped him with day-to-day tasks that were difficult for him.

Goodrich said she was supposed to spend the day with her daughter. Instead, police found Brown and Hutt dead, around 10:30 a.m. Christmas Eve morning, following an anonymous tip and a welfare check.

"Nekeya will not be forgotten and we will fight to find her killers and God will give us peace as well as Katon's family," said Goodrich.

Acevedo read a statement from Hutt's mother, who said, despite his big heart, his disability often allowed others to take advantage of him.

"He had the biggest heart and would give anyone anything they asked," the statement read, in part. "Nekeya was a friend to him. I don't know why someone would do this."

Members of the public can submit a tip by contacting Aurora police or by calling Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867. Tipsters will be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000.

"We know that crooks talk, bad actors talk," said Acevedo. "If you know something about who took these two lives, you need to come forward before that violence touches you and your neighbor and your friend."