FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Police have arrested an acquaintance of a Fort Collins woman found dead last week who had been missing for more than a month, officials said Thursday.
Khalid White, 30, faces investigation on charges of first-degree murder; tampering with a deceased human body; sexual assault; and identity theft in connection to the death of 41-year-old Kimberlee Graves. All four counts are felonies.
Graves was reported missing in early December, and police found that her home had been gone through and her car was missing for days before it was found unattended in a parking garage. Police said Thursday they believed Graves was killed on the night of Dec. 4 or early on the morning of Dec. 5, and that her home was gone through after she went missing.
Graves’ body was found in Lory State Park on Jan. 9, and the Larimer County coroner deemed her death a homicide after finding evidence of blunt-force trauma and strangulation.
Fort Collins police say that detectives learned early in their investigation that White and Graves knew one another, and a warrant was issued for his arrest on Dec. 14 after he missed a probation meeting.
White had left town on a bus, but discovered by police in West Wendover, Nevada, where he was arrested on the probation violation.
Police said he had Graves’ identification and “other items that belonged to her” on his person at the time of his arrest.
Fort Collins police interviewed White in Nevada and obtained a warrant for his arrest on the charges related to the Graves case, then arrested him Wednesday. White is set to appear in court Thursday afternoon.
Colorado court records show White pleaded guilty in October to child abuse causing serious bodily injury and was sentenced to four years of probation, receiving credit for 60 days in jail. He also has a prior arrest for investigation on charges of possession of weapons by a previous offender.
Police say the case remains active and under investigation, and ask anyone with information to call police at 970-416-2825 or email tipsline@fcgov.com.
