DENVER — In 2021, the man accused in the deadly 16th Street stabbings reportedly brandished a knife at an Adams County property manager and said he would "cut [his]... throat," according to an arrest affidavit.
On Saturday, three people were stabbed along the 16th Street Mall, with a fourth stabbing on Sunday near Union Station. Two people died of their injuries — one of the Saturday victims and the Sunday victim, the Denver Police Department (DPD) reported. The suspect, identified as 24-year-old Elijah Caudill, was arrested Sunday after police say he was spotted running with a long, "butcher-style" knife.
Denver7 Investigates dug into Caudill's criminal background on Monday and learned he's been accused of several crimes, including the 2021 threats against a property manager in Westminster, attempted purse snatching and a case involving stolen baseball cards that was dismissed.
Denver
Man arrested in series of deadly 16th Street Mall stabbing incidents identified
According to one affidavit, in August 2021, Corey Ellison, a maintenance director, told Caudill to leave a property in the area of 12151 N. Huron Street in Westminster.
“During that period of time, we were having a pretty significant homeless problem in the area, as I think most of those kinds of areas were having," Ellison told Denver7 on Monday. “I'd encountered him a few times on the property. On this day, specifically, I caught him going to the bathroom inside of the trash enclosure.”
The affidavit states Caudill became confrontational and "closed in" on Ellison.
“I thought he was leaving the property, but he didn't. As I was walking back to my truck, I happened to hear a noise, and when I turned around, he was a foot away from me just swinging a knife wildly," Ellison explained.
Ellison said Caudill was arrested the following day.
“Over the course of the next few months or so, the charge got reduced from a felony assault to a misdemeanor," Ellison said.
When Ellison learned Caudill was suspected of stabbing four people — seemingly at random — in downtown Denver, he was stunned.
“I feel like this could have been avoided, and then it wasn't," said Ellison. “I have a weird sense of guilt for some reason that I can't really put a finger on, that I could have done more. I don't know what it would have been.”
- Hear from Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston in the video player below
According to the Denver County Court website, Caudill is in the middle of other, ongoing criminal cases. Records show he faces two cases accusing him of misdemeanor sexual assault, a misdemeanor assault case, and a criminal mischief charge.
Documents obtained by Denver7 Investigates detail another incident when Caudill was being held in the Denver Detention Center in February 2024. He reportedly put a woman in a "choke-hold" and hit her after she refused to play basketball with him.
More court documents accuse Caudill of inappropriately touching a woman without consent while at the Denver Cares Detox facility. He was arrested in January 2024.
At a press conference on Monday evening, Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas said Caudill does not have a "violent history."
"He certainly has had law enforcement contacts in the metro area, but not someone that has a violent history, not someone... that we would have been watchful for, certainly," said Chief Thomas when asked if Caudill was on the department's radar.
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Denver Mayor Mike Johnston noted that Caudill was released from jail in November 2024.
A spokesperson for the Denver District Attorney's Office confirmed that Caudill was released on bond while being placed into a court-mandated mental health program, Bridges of Colorado. According to its website, the program "facilitates collaboration between the criminal justice and mental health systems by partnering with providers, courts, and often families to provide wraparound care for participants."
While records indicate Caudill was released on a personal recognizance (PR) bond, the DA's spokesperson explained that a defendant is released on bond until there is confirmation that a bed in the Bridges program is available and treatment can begin, then the bond becomes a PR bond.
In Caudill's case, the court agreed to the PR bond on October 29 but a bed at Bridges was not available until November 8 — the date Caudill was released.
Caudill is now being held in Denver jail and faces first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder charges. His next court appearance is not scheduled at this time but is expected to be in district court.
Denver7's Colette Bordelon contributed to this report.
