Oakey 'Al' Kite

On May 22, 2004, friends discovered the body of Oakey 'Al' Kite, a 53-year-old engineer, in his Aurora, Colorado home. Kite had been bound and tortured before being killed. The scene was exceptionally brutal—investigators described it as one of the most disturbing crime scenes they had encountered.

The investigation revealed that Kite had been advertising a room for rent in his home. He had shown the room to a prospective tenant who used the name 'Robert Cooper' and presented a fake ID. This person is believed to be the killer. 'Cooper' had called Kite multiple times in the days before the murder, and investigators obtained DNA from items the suspect left at the scene.

The DNA profile did not match anyone in law enforcement databases, including CODIS. A composite sketch of 'Robert Cooper' was created from witnesses who had seen him, describing a man in his 30s or 40s with a medium build. The fake name and Social Security number he provided were untraceable.

The methodical nature of the crime—the use of a false identity to gain access, the preparation involved, and the extreme violence—led investigators to believe this may not have been the killer's first crime. Some researchers have speculated about possible connections to other unsolved crimes, but no links have been confirmed. The case remains one of Colorado's most baffling unsolved murders.