Defendant guilty of first-degree murder in connection with the death of a Lakewood man

A Jefferson County jury on Thursday found a defendant guilty of first-degree murder who died of an 81-year-old Lakewood man whose body was never found.

Ricardo Perez, 37, was also found guilty of manipulating a corpse, attempting to influence an officer and manipulating physical evidence in connection with the death of Gail Wilson, the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office said in a release.

On November 1, 2021, Wilson was reported missing by family members. At the time of his disappearance, he was living with an adopted daughter, Savannah Wilson, 26; her friend Perez; and a roommate, 22-year-old Jay Griffith.

Perez, Griffith and Savanah Wilson were co-defendants in the case.

Lakewood Police Department investigators determined that Wilson was killed on Oct. 31, 2021 and his body was disposed of in dumpsters around the city, the prosecutor’s office said. The body was never found.

Read the rest of this story at the Denver Post website.

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