Updated at 11:35 a.m. on Thursday, July 3, 2025.
The Aurora Police Department says it has obtained an arrest warrant for the man they suspect to have fatally stabbed two men on Sunday.
Aurora PD obtained the warrant late Wednesday afternoon for Ricky Roybal-Smith, 38 of Aurora, who is currently in custody in Denver as a suspect in the homicide of a fellow prisoner in a holding unit at the Denver Downtown Detention Center.
Roybal-Smith is facing two first-degree murder charges in Aurora, and is under investigation for the detention center one in Denver.
Roybal-Smith will be transferred to Adams county jail on a first-degree murder warrant, police say. The two men stabbed and killed in Aurora were both experiencing homelessness, though it is still unclear if that’s why they were targeted.
At the time of the stabbings, Aurora PD suspected they were related, and according to a press release, detectives have confirmed that the incidents are connected.
The first stabbing took place Sunday at 1:45 a.m. on Moline Street near Colfax Avenue. The second was reported just before 6:30 a.m. at Peoria and Colfax, about half a mile from the first.
The attack in the Denver detention center took place around 2:15 a.m. on Monday, June 30, when officers responded to a report of an unresponsive man in a housing unit. He was pronounced dead after Denver Sheriffs and paramedics performed life saving measures. The cause of death is still being determined.
The investigation into the stabbings is still active and anyone with information can contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers. Tipsters can remain anonymous and could be rewarded up to $2,000.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that Roybal-Smith is also a suspect in the homicide of a fellow prisoner.
