New details revealed in 2021 murder case

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - 11News has more information about the suspicious death of a man in eastern El Paso County. We first shared his story two weeks ago when the Donaciano Amaya’s suspected killer was arrested.

The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office said Amaya worked at a ranch owned by Courtney and Nicole Mallery, a couple who has made serious allegations against the sheriff’s office. However, according to newly obtained arrest papers, Amaya’s death did not have anything to do with the allegations.

It all began on May 12, 2021, when a woman said she found her ex-boyfriends home ransacked. The ex-girlfriend, Paula Griffith, told authorities when she went to the shed, she saw Amaya dead.

The autopsy shows Amaya was shot six times, 4 in the back of the head.

During the sheriff’s office initial interviews, deputies said Griffith brought up Kevin Chaparro-Macias. However according to the arrest papers, Chaparro-Macias was never interviewed because deputies couldn’t find him

17 months after the murder, authorities said DNA swabs from the scene matched Chaparro-Macias through an online database.

Deputies brought him in for an interview.

The arrest papers said Chaparro-Macias reportedly changed his story several times and denied killing Amaya. He claimed he only knew the victim through buying marijuana. He also declined a polygraph test.

Chaparro-Macias was court ordered to provide another DNA sample and investigators said that it matched the crime scene sample.

He was arrested earlier this month and is now charged with first degree murder and tampering with a body.

The sheriff’s office denies that the murder was racially motivated towards the ranchers.

It is still unclear why authorities believe the suspect committed the crime.

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