Colorado man charged in ex-partner’s murder
Westminster, Colorado police arrested Thomas Perales after the body of 37-year-old Annette Marie Valdez, the mother of his children, was found in a trash can on Dec. 4, 2025. The Adams County District Attorney charged Perales with first-degree murder, tampering with a deceased human body, domestic violence, and violating a protection order; an affidavit cited by 9NEWS says he admitted to killing her and moving the body, and he had been released from jail about a week earlier.
📌 Key Facts
- Victim: Annette Marie Valdez, 37, last seen the day after Thanksgiving; body found Dec. 4 in Westminster
- Suspect: Thomas Perales, reportedly homeless with prior domestic-violence arrests and protection-order violations
- Charges: First-degree murder, tampering with a deceased human body, domestic violence, two counts of protection-order violation
📊 Relevant Data
In Colorado, domestic violence offenders in treatment are 53% White and 47% BIPOC, while the state's population is approximately 67% White non-Hispanic and 33% BIPOC.
DVOMB 2025 Annual Legislative Report — Colorado Division of Criminal Justice
Unhoused people in Los Angeles, who make up 1% of the population, were suspects in 11% of homicides and victims in 23% of homicides according to a 2022 report.
Why experts say some unhoused people are unfairly assumed to be dangerous — ABC News
Domestic violence protective orders are associated with reductions in intimate partner homicides.
Domestic violence protective orders are effective in reducing homicides, study finds — University of Michigan School of Public Health
Nearly two-thirds (63.8%) of federal violent offenders released in 2010 were rearrested within an eight-year follow-up period.
Recidivism of Federal Violent Offenders Released in 2010 — United States Sentencing Commission
In Westminster, Colorado, the White non-Hispanic population decreased from approximately 84% in 2010 to 65.7% in 2023, while the Hispanic population increased to 23.7%.
Westminster Demographics | Current Colorado Census Data — Colorado-Demographics.com