Abrams pleads not guilty in Lupe Salas murder case

A man accused of gunning down a 46-year-old man last spring in north Aurora pleaded not guilty this week.

Manuel Lee Abrams, 46, entered the not guilty plea Monday in Arapahoe County District Court.

Abrams is accused of killing Lupe Salas, 46, March 19 at a home in the 1400 block of Lima Street.

According to Aurora police, officers were called to the home at 1480 Lima St. on a report of a shooting shortly after 4 p.m. that day.

When officers arrived, they found Salas suffering multiple gunshot wounds. The Aurora Fire Department rushed Salas to a nearby hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

Police said at the time that there was an altercation between Salas and Abrams but did not elaborate on what they believe led to the altercation.

It wasn’t clear from court documents what led to the shooting either, or what the relationship was between Abrams and Salas was. The arrest affidavit, which details much of the evidence against Abrams, was sealed.

According to court records, Abrams lived at a nearby motel for several months before the shooting.

Abrams was arrested the day of the shooting and later booked into the Arapahoe County Jail, where he has been held without bond since.

Prosecutors asked that Abrams be barred from contacting one of the witnesses in the case and a judge granted the request.

When officers arrived, they found Salas suffering multiple gunshot wounds. The Aurora Fire Department rushed Salas to a nearby hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

A judge ruled following an evidence hearing in May that there was ample evidence for Abrams to stand trial on the first-degree murder charge. The same judge ruled that there was also enough evidence for Abrams to be held in the county jail without bond until his trial. Abrams’ lawyers had asked for a lower bond amount.

According to court records, Abrams’ trial is scheduled to start Feb. 9. The trial is slated to last seven days. He is due in court again for a motions hearing in December.

According to state records, Abrams, a native of Alabama who goes by the nickname “Bama,” has a lengthy arrest record dating back to 1987. He was charged with attempted murder in 1991 but the outcome of that case wasn’t clear from state records.

He served four years in prison on menacing, burglary and escape convictions before being released in 2007, according to court records.