Lakewood police arrested a 41-year-old man and charged him with the burglary and murder of an elderly woman in her home this week, according to a news release from the department.
Arthur Joseph Maestas IV was charged with first-degree murder, first-degree arson, first-degree burglary and a parole violation.
Lakewood Police Make Arrest in Burglary / Homicide
12/11/25
LK25-036770A man has been arrested following a burglary turned homicide over the weekend that killed an 83-year-old Lakewood woman.
On 12/6/25 at approximately 7:10 P.M., Lakewood Police were called to a home on the… pic.twitter.com/7KEyDhcV3E
— Lakewood Police Dept. (@LakewoodPDCO) December 11, 2025
On Dec. 6, one of 83-year-old Elizabeth Johnson’s children came to check on her and found her dead inside her home in the 300 block of South Kendall Street in eastern Lakewood. A window had been broken in and the home had been ransacked. It also appeared that a fire had been started, according to Lakewood police.
Maestas is held in the Jefferson County jail. The department didn’t provide further details on how they connected Maestas to the crime.