Suspect under arrest after death of Doberman breeder in Colorado mountains

Officials in Clear Creek County on Friday announced that a suspect in the killing of a 57-year-old Colorado dog breeder is in custody. Sergio Ferrer, 36, now faces charges that include first-degree murder and robbery in the death of Paul Peavey.  

Ferrer was arrested on an unrelated warrant out of Nebraska on Aug. 24, the same day that Peavey's body was found on his property north of Idaho Springs.

Ferrer used to run a hair salon in Idaho Springs, called Infamous Cutz. But it closed about two years ago. More recently, Ferrer had been working at Cabin Creek Brewery in Georgetown part-time where owner Craig Abrahamson said Ferrer, "Never had any issues."

"He called me, asked me if I can cover his shift Monday night," said roommate Erick Trujillo, from whom Ferrer was renting space in a living room, living separated from his wife and two children.

It was Monday evening Aug.19, when investigators believe Peavey was killed in his home up a steep drive off a dirt road north of Idaho Springs. 

Friends and community members found Peavey's body during a search of his land off Two Brothers Road. He hadn't been seen for nearly a week before that, and 10 of his Doberman pinscher puppies were determined to be missing. They still haven't been located.

In an affidavit for an arrest warrant for Ferrer, investigators detail lengthy conversations in which Ferrer told differing stories about what happened. 

First that he had not been to Peavey's property recently, then that he had to pay Peavey money owed for recently adopting a dog, making allegations that Peavey was connected to a cartel and on the property were guns and drugs. One friend of Peavey's called those allegations "ridiculous."

Ferrer also claimed at one point that Peavey tried to shoot him first with a derringer and he responded by shooting Peavey multiple times with a 9mm handgun. A 9mm gun was found at the house he shared with Trujillo, as was Peavey's phone and metal detecting equipment Peavey used as a hobby and other items.

The affidavit indicates Peavey's body was found partially buried on the property by a search party of about fifty people composed of friends and community members. 

The Sheriff's Office did not send a representative. That followed the failure of the department to recognize the urgency of a report from a friend that Peavey was missing on Wednesday.

"That detailed information that reporting part provided us should have necessitated us going up to the property," admitted Clear Creek County Sheriff Matt Harris. Harris said what happened was a step backward as he attempts to change the culture of the department since taking over last Fall in the aftermath of the shooting of Christian Glass by a Clear Creek deputy in 2022. 

In addition to not sending a deputy to check on Peavey on Wednesday, a deputy sent the following day took a cursory look, determined there were no red flags and left. But friends say Peavey's trailer was a mess and there were adult dogs running loose. 

The dogs were taken to a shelter. But Peavey's vehicles were there and the puppies were not. His body would not be found until Aug. 24 during a community-organized search that the sheriff's office did not join. 

Peavey's body was discovered within minutes said Bruce Boynton, a close friend of Peavey's. An internal review by the sheriff's office has not yet started. 

But asked if there should be firings, Harris said, "There's things like this that are bad decision making versus violation of policy. You look at those things. Sometimes things are not a violation of policy versus bad decisions."

As the community waited for answers after Peavey was reported missing, the 10 puppies allegedly taken by Ferrer were to be sold. In the affidavit, Ferrer, who at first denied stealing the dogs, but later said he did, said some were sold in Denver. Others may have gone to family.

The mother of a friend of one of Ferrer's children said her daughter communicated with Ferrer's daughter, who shared a photo of seven puppies, part of a litter they had gotten that they were selling.

"Little teenage girls were Snapchatting about puppies and I put it together," said Jeannie Dalrymple.

"My daughter's sort of flitting around the kitchen island Snapchatting with her best friend about Doberman puppies. And I have a picture that her best friend sent to her. There are at least seven in the picture, they are Doberman puppies. This is too much of a coincidence for our county."

She shared the information with Boynton and with investigators.

"So the more of us talking to each other, the more suspicious we were getting that this was a clear link."

Dalrymple said she had met Ferrer in the past. He even said he wanted to meet the parents when his daughter came for a sleepover.

"I'm stunned and I'm really sad," she said of the murder and arrest. "Overall there is shock and absolute sadness."