Philip Malinowski, 50, was found shot to death in the basement of a home in southwest Denver on July 29, 2017. Investigators located his body in the 3200 block of West Saratoga Avenue with a single gunshot wound to the chest after a man walked into a nearby police station and said he had killed someone.

Detectives identified the man who came forward as 58-year-old Joe Pinheiro. Police say Pinheiro told officers they would find Malinowski at the Saratoga Avenue address; when checked, officers discovered the body. Two firearms were recovered from Pinheiro and he was booked into the Denver jail. Prosecutors charged Pinheiro with first-degree murder, and later a jury convicted him of the lesser-included offense of second-degree murder.

The conviction stood on appeal, although the Court of Appeals ordered a new sentencing hearing in 2025 because the trial judge had not adequately ensured Pinheiro’s right to speak at sentencing. The central facts remain: Malinowski was killed by a single gunshot in a basement, and the man who reported the killing was arrested, charged, and convicted. Does anyone have information about Malinowski’s life, acquaintances, or movements in southwest Denver before July 29, 2017?