Man arrested in Colorado dog breeder’s killing, but the puppies are still missing
DENVER — A man suspected of murder of a Colorado dog breeder The Doberman was found dead last week and has been arrested, but the breeder’s missing Doberman puppies have still not been found, authorities said Friday.
Sergio Ferrer, 36, was arrested on Aug. 24, hours after the body of Paul Peavey, 57, was found on his mountain property just west of Denver, the Clear Creek Sheriff’s Office announced. Ferrer was considered a person of interest in Peavey’s death at the time, but was initially arrested on an unrelated warrant for failing to appear in court in Nebraska on a weapons charge, the office said.
The sheriff’s office said Friday that with the help of other law enforcement agencies, it had gathered enough evidence to recommend that the district attorney’s office charge him with first-degree murder, aggravated murder and aggravated robbery in connection with Peavey’s killing. The coroner’s office determined he had been shot, it said.
Ferrer is represented by the Public Prosecutor’s Office, which does not comment on the cases to the media.
Sheriff’s spokeswoman Jenny Fulton declined to comment on whether Ferrer is suspected of stealing the puppies. Fulton did not release information about a possible motive for the killing.
Authorities are trying to locate 10 missing Doberman puppies on Peavey’s property.
Peavey bred European Dobermans, which are more muscular and considered more protective than their American counterparts, said fellow Colorado breeder Meredith Mazutis, who said she mentored Peavey and sold him the offspring of dogs she imported from Europe. European Dobermans are also much more expensive, selling for at least $3,500, she said. Peavey sold his puppies for $4,500 each, she said.
Mazutis said Peavey’s adult dogs, which she gave him, were locked in the camper he was living in and could not protect him. She has offered to take them back to her home once they are released by investigators.
Peavey was a cheerful and trusting person who enjoyed getting to know people personally, rather than relying on what others thought of them, she said.
“We all adored him,” she said.