Man, 84, found in Texas charged in 1977 murder of Denver man

DENVER – Charges have been filed in a 1977 murder case out of Denver in what is the oldest ever prosecuted by the Denver District Attorney’s Office Cold Case Unit.

Benito Soto, 84, faces one count of first-degree murder in the June 1977 shooting death of Armanda Garcia at the Denampa Bar on Larimer Street in Denver.

The Denver District Attorney’s Office says that Soto was identified as Garcia’s alleged killer shortly after the murder, but Soto had already left Denver. A judge issued a warrant for his arrest, but the case went cold because no one could find him.

The DA’s Office says that the Denver Police Department’s Fugitive Unit found Soto living in Texas and re-opened the case.

After interviewing witnesses in the case and Soto himself, a warrant to get Soto from Texas was obtained, and he was arrested and brought back to Denver this month.

The DA’s Office says the case, at nearly 40 years old, is the oldest cold case prosecuted by its cold case unit.

Soto was first advised in court on his charges on March 14 and is next scheduled for a preliminary hearing on April 21.