Darrell Burklund, a 72-year-old man, was arrested in York, Nebraska on March 14 in connection to the murder of Jessica Bejarano. The murder happened on April 6, 2007 in Frederick, Colorado when the local police found Bajarano’s body in a bathroom with one stab wound on her chest. Burklund has been charged with second-degree murder for the 18-year-old crime.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigations (CBI) interviewed Burklund on March 14 after determining he was a potential match with DNA evidence, and then he was taken into custody. He is currently being held at the York County Sheriff’s Detention Center awaiting an extradition hearing, which was scheduled for yesterday, before coming back to Colorado to face trial.
Burklund was 54 at the time of the murder. Bejarano’s four-year-old daughter and two-year-old son were in the home at the time of the attack. Investigators considered several suspects after finding Bejarano’s body in 2007, but never made any arrests. Her husband was initially a suspect, but he was working at the time of the murder.
“This arrest is the culmination of years of tireless work by our investigators for the unwavering pursuit of justice for Jessica Bejarano and her family,” said CBI Director Chris Schaefer. Schaefer was one of the first agents assigned to the case in 2007. “I want to remind victims' families to never give up hope. No matter how old or complicated these cases are, our cold case team is dedicated to resolving the most difficult cases no matter how long it takes."
Cece Merrow, Bejarano’s mother, praised the CBI for finding justice in the death of her daughter nearly two decades after her murder. “We are grateful for the diligent and hard work of the CBI and its cold case team, especially Agent Kevin Koback,” Merrow said. “We never gave up hope. Chris Schaefer, who was on Jessica's case from day one, made a promise that he would not retire until Jessica's case was solved. He has kept his promise. There were so many twists and turns in her case, but we always had faith in the CBI."
