The Murder of Andrew Janicek
For this case, I watched an episode of Real Time Crime. It’s season 1 episode 3, titled ‘Hollywood Heist/Last Supper.’ Andrew’s case is talked about during the 2nd part of the episode.
A 27-year-old man is killed in a dark parking lot.
Background
Andrew David Janicek lived in the small town of Lakewood, Colorado, near Edgewater and Denver. He was 27-years-old, and worked at the Department of Revenue.
Andrew was extremely close to his mom, Juli, who described her son as her best friend. He was described as an all around good and loving person.
Andrew Jenicek
The Crime
On April 5, 2018, a woman named Alexis was driving in Edgewater, Colorado with a friend. They had been in the parking lot of a discrepancy when they heard a gunshot.
Alexis said she lowered her seat and was able to see a man lying facedown in the parking lot. She had described the shooter as a short Hispanic male, and saw him get into the passenger side of a silver Pontiac.
Alexis and her friend called 911, and attempted to give the man CPR. However, he was pronounced dead at the scene. His wallet was found nearby, and the police were able to identify him as Andrew Janicek. Andrew’s phone was also at the scene, and there was still money in his wallet. A single .9mm shell casing was found near Andrew’s body.
The Surveillance
The police searched the area for any surveillance footage. A barbecue restaurant called Billy Sims allowed the police to look at their footage.
On the grainy surveillance camera, the police could see Andrew and the shooter struggling. Andrew then falls to the ground, and the man runs to the car. As the car was fleeing the scene, they ended up running over Andrew’s leg. It was clear to the police that it was a robbery gone wrong, and that the occupants of the car didn’t care about human life.
A BOLO was put out to all police agencies for a silver or white Pontiac. The Denver police had reported that they had a previous shooting in their jurisdiction involving a similar vehicle. They were able to give the Edgewater police a partial plate number.
The car involved was later revealed to be a white Mitsubishi Eclipse. The car was owned by a woman named Alicia Valdez.
The Suspects
A BOLO was put out for Alicia’s car. Two days after Andrew’s murder, Alicia’s car was pulled over for a traffic infraction. The driver, Alicia, was arrested for an outstanding warrant.
Alicia hadn’t been alone in the car. Two men, Caleb Vigil and Devon Howard were also asked to step out of the car. Caleb was arrested for having a .9mm weapon him when he wasn’t supposed to. The police didn’t have anything to hold Devon on, so he was released.
Alicia was confronted by the police as to why her car was seen on surveillance at the scene of a murder. Alicia claimed she didn’t recall anything. She claimed she had been the one driving, but didn’t know anything about a murder.
Caleb refused to talk and asked for a lawyer. He did tell the police about his residence, and a search warrant was obtained.
The Roommate
The police went to Caleb’s apartment, and asked his roommate to answer questions down at the police station.
Inside the apartment, the police found boxes of .9mm ammunition, which seemed to match the shell casing found at the scene.
Caleb’s roommate said that Caleb, Alicia and Devon had came back to their apartment on the night of the murder. He said they openly spoke about how they had attempted to rob someone. They said that the man had dropped his wallet on the ground, but Caleb shot him. He referred to Caleb as ‘Modelo,’ and to Devon as ‘Silencio.’
Caleb’s roommate also admitted to seeing Caleb with a .9mm gun at the apartment, and that Caleb was the only one who had ever handled it.
Wrong Place, Wrong Time
A search warrant was obtained for Alicia’s car. Inside the car, the police found a receipt from a 7-Eleven.
The police obtained the surveillance from the 7-Eleven. All 3 suspects were seen on camera buying snacks after they had shot and killed Andrew.
Alicia, Devon, and Caleb were all arrested. They were all convicted of first degree murder.
Caleb was also convicted of second degree murder, attempted murder, aggravated robbery and conspiracy to commit murder. He was sentenced to life plus 118 years.
Devon was also convicted of the same charges plus aggravated intimidation of a witness and retaliation of a witness. He was sentenced to life plus 279 years. He also admitted to driving Alicia’s car and to running over Andrew.
Alicia was convicted of attempted aggravated robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery. She was sentenced to life in prison. Alicia has attempted to appeal her conviction.
Caleb Vigil
Devon Howard
Alicia Valdez
FINAL THOUGHTS
Andrew had truly been in the wrong place at the wrong time. He had gotten out of his car near a Dunkin Donuts, according to CBS News. He had attempted to give Caleb his wallet, but was shot for simply trying to get away. These 3 monsters deserve to rot in their cells. They were also believed to have committed a shooting in Denver, but weren’t prosecuted for it. It’s clear they didn’t care about killing anyone who stood in their way of their favorite hobby of robbing people.
Sources
https://www.denverpost.com/2019/07/19/murder-conviction-woman-barbecue/
https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/alicia-valdez-murder-andrew-jenicek-edgewater/
https://kdvr.com/news/local/21-year-old-woman-sentenced-to-life-in-prison-for-edgewater-murder/
