John Jefferson
Inset: Paul Peavey (KCNC/YouTube). Background: The Colorado property where Peavey was found dead on Saturday, Aug 24, 2024. (KUSA/YouTube).
Deputies say that the man who killed a Doberman pinscher breeder has been arrested. Authorities in Nebraska first took Sergio Ferrer, 36, into custody for an unrelated weapons charge, but records show he is now jailed in Clear Creek, Colorado, where he will face charges for allegedly murdering Paul Peavey, 57.
As previously reported, the victim had been last seen alive on Aug. 19, and reported missing on Aug. 21. Deputies checked out his camper on Aug. 22, only to find that its door was open and he was not there, according to an affidavit recently obtained by Denver ABC affiliate KMGH. A search party comprised of his friends found him dead downhill from his camper on Aug. 24.
Authorities have said that up to 10 puppies were missing from the premises, and were believed to have been sold on social media. Other items, including, cash, metal detecting equipment, and jewelry were also gone, according to the reported affidavit.
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Ferrer ended up on law enforcement radar after members of the search party said that they had seen the defendant’s daughter trying to sell puppies on Facebook and that when they called Peavey’s phone, the person who answered faked an accent but sounded like Ferrer, according to authorities in the KMGH report.
Investigators claim to have found items matching a number of Peavey’s missing possessions at Ferrer’s residence, including jewelry, metal detectors and wipes.
When agents for the Colorado Bureau of Investigation interviewed the suspect, he allegedly told them constantly shifting stories about buying a puppy from the victim, how much this puppy cost, whether he visited the camper (anywhere from never to five times) and whether he killed the man. Ultimately, Ferrer allegedly asserted Peavey was involved with “the cartel” and tried to kill him over so-called “missing drugs,” so Ferrer shot him in self-defense, according to the suspect’s alleged version of events.
According to authorities, Ferrer did not answer when asked how the body ended up down the hill from the trailer, but eventually he claimed he returned the next day and put the body where someone would find Peavey. He allegedly claimed he covered him “out of respect.” According to authorities, Ferrer said he took the puppies that night and went to Denver to give them away because he lacked the time to sell them.
Authorities on Friday were still looking for missing puppies.
From deputies:
Anyone with information about this investigation is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office tip line at 303-670-7567, or submit a tip via email at [email protected] or anonymously via the CCSO website at https://bit.ly/CCSOCrimeTips.
Jason Kandel contributed to this report.
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
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