Crimesider
Crimesider
October 18, 2012 9:34 AM

Denver Bar Fire: Three suspects arrested, victims ID'd in what police call robbery gone wrong

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Police investigate at Fero's Bar and Grill in Denver on Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2012, where the bodies of a man and four woman were discovered after firefighters extinguished a fire at the bar early Wednesday morning. Police think the blaze was set to cover up their slayings.

Police investigate at Fero's Bar and Grill in Denver on Oct. 17, 2012, where the bodies of a man and four woman were discovered after a fire

/ AP Photo/Ed Andrieski

(CBS/AP) DENVER - Three people have been arrested and tentatively charged with first-degree felony murder and arson in the deaths of five people inside Fero's Bar & Grill early Wednesday, reports CBS Denver.

At a press conference Thursday morning, Denver Police Commander Ronald Saunier said the suspects - Dexter Lewis, 22, Lynell Hill, 24, and Joseph Hill, 27 - allegedly went to the bar to rob it before closing time Wednesday, but he didn't go into details about how it turned into a murder case.

The fire at Fero's Bar & Grill was spotted just before 2 a.m. by a police officer on patrol. Firefighters found four women and one man dead inside.

The Denver medical examiner said the victims include 63-year-old Young Fero, who is one of the bar's owners, according to state records. The other victims were 22-year-old Daria Pohl, 45-year-old Kellene Fallon, 29-year-old Ross Richter and 45-year-old Tereasa Beesley.

Investigators believe they were killed before the fire and the blaze was set to cover up the slayings.

The bar is located in a strip mall about five miles south of downtown Denver, just beyond the upscale Cherry Creek North shopping district. It's wedged in among a check-cashing store, a tennis shop, a nail salon and a car repair shop in the strip mall on one of the city's busiest streets, Colorado Boulevard.

Danny Fero, who said he was Young Fero's ex-husband, said he talked with police Wednesday near the scene of the crime, but he wasn't asked to identify any of the bodies. He said he did not know who might have been at the bar Wednesday morning.

"She always worked late and closed the bar," he said.

Danny Fero said he talked with his ex-wife about a month ago regarding a visit with their daughter, but his ex-wife made no mention of any threats. He said he was shocked by the events at the bar he once co-owned with her.

"I wanted to make myself available to police as soon as possible," Danny Fero said.

More on Crimesider
Oct. 17, 2012 - Denver bar set on fire to mask slaying of 5 found dead inside, police say


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