On Thanksgiving evening, November 26, 2020, 24-year-old Mauricio Omar Perez was working as a clerk at the Valero on South Quebec Street and East County Line Road in Centennial, Colorado when a man entered the store and carried out an armed robbery. The suspect displayed a handgun and demanded money and cigarettes; Perez filled a shopping bag with the requested items and handed it over. After that exchange the assailant shot Perez. He was taken to a local hospital, underwent surgery, but ultimately died from his injuries.

Investigators initially described the suspect as a white male and released surveillance images. The probe identified Samuel Birch as the accused. A key witness, Birch’s ex-girlfriend Jennifer Olson, testified that Birch had confessed, showed her stolen cash, and burned clothing in their apartment fireplace to destroy evidence. Authorities recovered .22-caliber ammunition from Birch’s apartment and car that matched the bullet used in the shooting, and a glove tested positive for gunshot residue.

In March 2022 a jury convicted Birch of first-degree murder, first-degree felony murder, two counts of aggravated robbery, and tampering with physical evidence; in April 2022 a judge imposed life plus additional sentences. Does anyone have information about Mauricio’s last shift, the store’s surveillance, or contacts who knew him that could help clarify what happened that night?