DENVER -- Fear has gripped Denver's homeless community, where five men have been bludgeoned to death, prompting the city Friday to announce a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the killer.
"It shows that in Denver whether one is living in a shelter or whether one is living in a palatial palace, that life is important," Denver Mayor Wellington Webb said.Police have stopped short of calling the slayings, all of which occurred in September, the work of a serial killer.
Seven detectives and three supervising sergeants have been working around the clock on the case and have contacted the FBI and police agencies through the country. They have been unable to determine a motive and do not know if the killer has left town.
"It's pretty alarming. I've been working with the homeless in Denver for almost 15 years and I've never seen anything like this," said John Parvensky, president of the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless.
The homeless, many of whom suffer from mental problems and already shun strangers, do not know what to make of the murders. "We hear them talking about the killings. They're just as confused as we are," Parvensky said.
Police announced Tuesday that Kenneth Rapp, 42, was the fifth transient bludgeoned to death in the downtown area. His badly decomposed body was found by a city crew cutting weeds last week near Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies major league baseball team.
In response to the killings, the city has allowed homeless shelters to house more people than usual, and homeless men have been advised to stay in pairs.