On March 8th, an arrest was made as a result of the investigation into the homicide of 43-year-old Donaciano Amaya, also referred to by the media as the ranch hand of Courtney and Nicole Mallery. On May 12th, 2021, at approximately 6:04 pm, our Communications Center dispatched deputies to the 6000 block of South Johnson Road located in Rush, Colorado, on a check the welfare call. When deputies arrived, they discovered a deceased adult male on the property. The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office and the Metro Crime Lab processed the scene.
During the investigation persons of interest were identified. On April 27th, 2022, initial lab results for the DNA submissions excluded those persons of interest but identified an unknown male.
On October 10th, 2022, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office received notification of a Combined DNA Index System, often called CODIS, hit that tentatively identified the unknown male as Kevin Armondo Chaparro-Macias, date of birth February 9th, 1997.
On February 10th, 2023, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office’s investigations division received a lab report for a DNA sample collected from Chaparro-Macias. Those results strongly implicated Chaparro-Macias as contributing to the unknown male DNA collected from the initial homicide scene.
On March 8th, 2023, the Colorado Springs Police Department Metro Fugitives Unit, in partnership with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team, arrested Chaparro-Macias. Chaparro-Macias was booked into the El Paso County Jail, has been charged with First-degree Murder, and is being held without bond.
I want to thank our local media partners who report the factual information released from my office as it has and continues to become available.
I want to commend my sworn and professional staff at the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, as well as our partner, the Metro Crime Lab, for their hard work, expertise, and dedication in solving this case and seeking justice for Mr. Amaya.
I take my responsibility of serving as the Sheriff of El Paso County seriously. My office is focused on public safety, transparency, and community partnerships aimed to make the Pikes Peak region a safe and wonderful place for families to live and visit.
