AURORA | The final suspect sought in what police say was a violent kidnapping that terrorized two Venezuelan immigrants at a troubled northwest Aurora apartment complex has been returned to Colorado to face charges, police said Thursday.
Aurora police said Jorman Jose Cuba-Zabala, 26, of Venezuela, was arrested April 28 by officers in Chicago after allegedly stealing two pairs of sunglasses valued at more than $800 from a department store. Chicago police later learned he was wanted on an Aurora warrant tied to a December 2024 kidnapping and assault at The Edge at Lowry Apartments, according to an Aurora police statement.
The apartment complex has for more than a year been a flashpoint in the city’s debate over crime, immigration and housing conditions.
Cuba-Zabala was extradited to Colorado and booked Oct. 4 into the Arapahoe County Jail, where he remains in lieu of a $250,000 bond. He faces four counts of second-degree kidnapping, four counts of aggravated robbery, two counts of menacing with a deadly weapon and two counts of extortion, all felonies, Aurora Police spokesperson Joy Moylan said in a statement.
The arrest marks what police say is the twelfth and final suspect charged in the case. All 12 are now in police custody as the investigation continues.
Police originally identified as many as 19 people they sought as potential suspects in the case.
Police Chief Todd Chamberlain described the Dec. 17, 2024, crime as one of the most violent cases the department has seen in recent years.
According to investigators, a man and woman, both Venezuelan immigrants, were confronted in their apartment by a group of armed assailants at about 9 p.m. They were kidnapped, taken to a vacant unit in the same building, and “tortured” for hours before being released around 2 a.m., Chamberlain told the media at a December press conference.
“They were pistol-whipped. They were beaten. One of the victims was actually stabbed,” Chamberlain said. “Does that fall in the category of torture? For me, yeah, it does.”
The couple, who survived with non-life-threatening injuries, were hospitalized and placed under police protection. Chamberlain said the pair showed “an incredible amount of courage” by coming forward despite fears of deportation or retaliation.
Police later said the attack was prompted from a parking-lot cell-phone video that became part of a larger dispute.”
The attack took place at The Edge at Lowry Apartments, near East 12th Avenue and Dallas Street. The complex has been the scene of repeated crimes, including a fatal shooting caught on a viral video earlier in 2024 that brought national attention and political controversy to Aurora.
Residents and activists say the property’s conditions have deteriorated for years under its owner, CBZ Management, which the city has accused of neglecting maintenance and allowing dangerous living conditions to persist.
Aurora officials have taken civil and criminal action against the company, saying it has ignored repeated orders to improve the property.
Earlier this year, the city shut down the complex, citing unlivable conditions.
Police said anyone with information can call Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867. Tipsters can remain anonymous and still be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000, police said.
If it weren’t for Representative Danielle Jurinsky, these “newcomers” would likely still be operating in our fair city of Aurora. Thanks to Representitive Jurinsky. Remember and vote for her next election.
Agree 100%.
Does Polis still think this is all in Jurinsky’s “imagination”?
BTW, Colorado is the second most dangerous state in the U.S as of 2025.