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Man found guilty in killing of woman at Lakewood motel in 2019

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Posted at 4:37 PM, Apr 29, 2021
and last updated 2021-04-29 18:37:22-04

LAKEWOOD, Colo. — A man has been found guilty in the killing of a woman at the Chalet Motel in Lakewood in 2019, officials said.

Jarvis Gates, 39, was convicted of first-degree murder in the death of 32-year-old Rotasha Pryor-Thomas.

Around 3:15 a.m. on Nov. 2, 2019, officers with the Lakewood Police Department responded to a report of a woman who had been found dead at the Chalet Motel, which is located at 6051 W. Alameda Ave.

A few days later — on Nov. 5 around 2 p.m. — detectives arrested Gates in connection to the homicide.

Testimony presented in court said Pryor-Thomas died of asphyxiation on the night of Oct. 31, 2019.

Evidence tying Gates to the crime included surveillance footage from the mote, DNA, fingerprints, and cell phone mapping, prosecutors said.

Gates has a sentencing hearing scheduled for May 5.