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Arrest Warrant Issued for Suspect in Williams Double Murder

kjct8.com

The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office says it has obtained a criminal complaint and arrest warrant for a 29-year-old Grand Junction, Colo., man alleged to have committed a double murder near Williams earlier this month. Derrick Shawn Barnett was arrested Fri, May 5 near Dolores, Colo., and faces numerous charges in the killings of 67-year-old Michael Dimuria and his 64-year-old wife Nora Dimuria. 

Michael Dimuria’s body was found by a neighbor on May 2 in the couple’s home in the Red Lake community. Nora Dimuria was later found dead there by sheriff’s deputies. The home had been rummaged through and their Jeep was missing.

Coconino County Sheriff’s Office Commander Rex Gilliland says authorities in Colorado received a tip from a Williams-area resident that Barnett was driving the couple’s SUV. It was found abandoned at a campground three days later.

Credit Coconino County Sheriff's Office
Coconino County Sheriff Jim Driscoll spoke with members of the Red Lake Community May 6 about the double murder.

“Barnett was located and arrested by the Dolores and Montezuma County Sheriff’s deputies and the Colorado State Police around 9 p.m. on Friday after a 30-mile-high speed chase,” Gilliland says. “Sheriff’s deputies recovered some property they believed may be evidence in the case.”

The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office also says Barnett fired a gun at officers during the chase. According to Gilliland, Barnett faces charges for murder, theft and misconduct involving weapons. He is in custody in the Montezuma County Jail in Cortez, Colo., and awaiting extradition to Arizona. Coconino County Sheriff’s Office detectives are continuing the investigation. 

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