Denver police arrest suspect wanted in deadly stabbings near 16th Street Mall
Police in Denver have arrested the suspect wanted in a series of stabbings, some of them deadly, near the 16th Street Mall over the weekend. The arrest of Elijah Caudill followed the latest stabbing late Sunday night.
Caudill, 24, appeared in a Denver courtroom on Monday morning. He was being held without bond on investigation of two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder.
The first three stabbings happened along 16th Street between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. Saturday, according to investigators.
The first stabbing that happened was initially reported at approximately 6:20 p.m. Saturday after the victim self-transported to the hospital. This stabbing happened as the man was leaving work in the area of 16th Street and Tremont Street at about 5:10 p.m. Saturday. The adult male victim was slashed in the face.
According to police, the victim said he was walking along the 16th Street Mall when a male ran up behind him, slashed him in the face and then ran away. The victim described the suspect as a while male in his 20s, wearing a black hat, black pants, and a blue sweatshirt.
Just minutes after the first attack, there was a reported stabbing in the area of 16th Street and California St. about 5:20 p.m. Saturday. The adult female victim was stabbed in the throat and rushed to the hospital where she died Sunday morning. The woman was an American Airlines flight attendant in Denver on a layover. After her death, American Airlines has stated that crews laying over "will be temporarily relocated from downtown Denver to a hotel near the Denver airport."
She has been identified in court documents as 71-year-old Celinda Levno.
American Airlines released this statement regarding her death: With great sadness, we inform you of the passing of Phoenix-based Flight Attendant Celinda Levno while on layover in Denver. Celinda began her career with America West in 1989.
Celinda's love for her horses, friends, and family will always be remembered. We stand in support with Celinda's family, friends, and our colleagues in Phoenix Inflight as they process this senseless tragedy.
While this tragic event did not take place at the layover hotel, crews laying over in downtown Denver will be temporarily relocated to a hotel near the Denver airport.
The third reported stabbing happened about a half hour later in the area of 16th Street and Lawrence Street, at approximately 5:56 p.m. Saturday. The adult male victim was stabbed in the torso and rushed to the hospital. He is in critical condition but described as "stable."
According to Denver police, officers were in the area of 16th and Wynkoop when they saw a white male in his 20s wearing a green winter coat and black pants running with a large knife in his hand. Officers said they pursued the male who dropped the knife and was taken into custody without incident. He was identified as Caudill. The knife was recovered and covered in suspected blood.
Shortly after the suspect was captured, an unknown male was located on the ground at 16th and Wynkoop with a large laceration to his back. He was rushed to Denver Health where he was pronounced deceased at 8:45 p.m.
Investigators believe that there is no connection between Caudill and the victims, and the motive is unclear at this time.
Police said they have added additional security along 16th Street for added security presence.
Caudill has a criminal history that includes four failure-to-appear warrants in Denver for misdemeanor arrests in 2024 that include criminal mischief, assault, sexual contact- no consent and indecent exposure; attempted robbery and assault in Thornton in 2022; and a 2021 assault in Westminster.
In the wake of the tragedy, Mayor Mike Johnston on Monday evening said "random acts of violence" like the ones that happened over the weekend are rare, and he shared a hopeful message to the Denver community.
"The real facts are, it is safer downtown now than it has been in a long time," he said. "We want to keep it going in that direction."
The Downtown Denver Partnership released this statement to CBS News Colorado, "We are horrified by the events that took place in Downtown Denver over the weekend and our thoughts are with the victims, their families, and all of those who have been impacted. While we take comfort in knowing that the suspect has now been apprehended thanks to the extraordinary efforts of the Denver Police Department, this tragedy remains undeniably devastating to all of us at the Partnership. A safe environment is of the highest importance to all of us at the Downtown Denver Partnership, and we – together with our partners at DPD and the City – remain wholly focused on both the perception and reality of safety in our center city."