AURORA | A 37-year-old man was sentenced to 99 years in prison after being convicted of using a machete to rob a local hotel staff and then kidnap and sexually assault the front-desk clerk, according to 18th Judicial District officials.
Arapahoe County District Court Judge last Friday Jacob Edson sentenced Khafre Buxton, 37, to 99 years to life in prison for the robbery and assault he committed just before Christmas 2020.
Police were called to the Quality Inn, 1011 S. Abilene St. at about 3 a.m. by staff, who said they’d been robbed and one employee had been kidnapped.
Police reported that Buxton knocked on the door of the hotel and was let in by the front desk clerk.
When he got inside, he pulled out a machete.
“Buxton took the front clerk and a security guard to a back office to obtain money from a filing cabinet,” 18th Judicial District spokesperson Eric Ross said in a statement. “Buxton then kidnapped the female front desk clerk.”
Police said the man left the hotel with the victim in his car and drove to a nearby hardware store, where he assaulted her.
“Aurora police officers spotted Buxton’s car down the street from the Quality Inn and initiated a traffic stop,” Ross said. “The victim was able to get out of the vehicle and ran toward officers.”
Buxton was arrested then.
A jury convicted Buxton on charges of robbery, kidnapping, sex assault and related crimes after a week-long trial, Ross said.
“The defendant terrorized an innocent front desk clerk and a security guard who were doing nothing more than working their routine job that night,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Chris Gallo said. “Instead of taking cash and leaving, Mr. Buxton continued his crime spree by kidnapping the clerk and sexually assaulting her. I commend the Aurora Police Department for their quick response times, which ultimately led to the capture of the defendant less than a mile down the road.”