The family of a Denver (Colo.) woman patiently waited two years before filing their a against the city, until the suspect in the case was convicted of murder and kidnapping, and after two other high-profile response delays by Denver police to homicides. The lawsuit filed Monday names the city, four dispatchers identified only by initials, and two police officers, and says the murder of Loretta Barela was “preventable.” She died in November 2012 at the hands of her husband, Christopher Perea, who is awaiting sentencing. According to the lawsuit filed in federal court, Barela was beaten and strangled by Perea, and ran to a neighbor’s house at about 2 a.m. asking for help. The neighbor dialed 911 and reported Barela was topless at her door, and that Perea had just dragged Barela back across the street to the couple’s home. When police didn’t immediately arrive, the neighbor dialed 911 again at 2:40 a.m. However, an officer didn’t arrive until about 3:10 a.m., and then didn’t thoroughly investigate the Barela’s house, the lawsuit states. The officer left without talking to anyone. It wasn’t until 8:16 a.m. later that morning that Perea himself dialed 911 and made admissions that he had killed his wife. He was arrested, and last May was convicted of Barela’s murder. After details of the response delay became known, police launched an internal investigation. However, the involved radio dispatcher resigned, ending any disciplinary action. The lawsuit mentions two other Denver homicides where “deficient dispatchers and dispatch procedures” were a contributing factor, including a response delay last April. Download (pdf) the lawsuit for more details.
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