FREDERICK, Colo. — After years with "many twists and turns," a 72-year-old man in Nebraska has been arrested in connection with a 2007 homicide of a young mother in Colorado.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) made the announcement on Tuesday afternoon that it had arrested Darrell Burklund, a former maintenance worker, in York, Nebraska on Friday.
He is accused of killing 25-year-old Jessica Bejarano, and has been booked in jail on a charge of second-degree murder, CBI said.
CBI Director Chris Schaefer, who was one of the original agents assigned to the case, said the arrest is "the culmination of years of tireless work by our investigators."
"No matter how old or complicated these cases are, our cold case team is dedicated to resolving the most difficult cases no matter how long it takes," he said.
This case started on April 6, 2007. That day, officers with the Frederick Police Department responded to a call along the 7900 block of Larkspur Circle. When they arrived at the home, they found Bejarano's body in the bathroom. She had one stab wound to her chest, CBI said.
Her 4-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son were also in the home.
During the investigation, detectives looked at several suspects, which included Bejarano's husband. He was later cleared because he was at work at the time of the crime, CBI said.
Detectives "ultimately" obtained DNA evidence that appeared to be a match to Burklund, CBI said.
While no other details are available about what happened between the initial investigation and this month, investigators on Friday conducted a follow-up interview with Burklund in Nebraska, which led to his arrest that same day. CBI is working to extradite him to Colorado.
Burklund, who is now 72, was 54 at the time of Bejarano's death.
Cece Merrow, Bejarano's mother, said she is grateful for the work that led to this arrest, saying the family never gave up hope.
"There were so many twists and turns in her case, but we always had faith in the CBI," she said.
The 19th Judicial District Attorney's Office, Nebraska State Patrol and the York County Sheriff's Office in Nebraska all assisted in this investigation.
No other details were available as of publishing time.
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