Denver fugitive accused in woman’s death nabbed in Las Vegas

By Jackie Valley

Thursday, Feb. 10, 2011 | 11:34 a.m.

Authorities arrested a man in Las Vegas on Tuesday who allegedly murdered a Denver woman in 1996, then abandoned his tractor trailer truck in Iowa after a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Metro Police spokeswoman Barbara Morgan said Chester Leroy Todd, 66, was arrested Tuesday afternoon at University Medical Center.

Todd was booked in the Clark County Detention Center on a fugitive charge and is being held without bail, according to jail records. He was scheduled for a court appearance this morning.

The FBI had listed Todd as a suspect in a series of rapes and homicides across the country involving prostitutes working near truck stops, according to The Denver Post.

Denver Police officials said Todd allegedly murdered 27-year-old Sherri Lynn Majors, who was last seen the night of March 17, 1996. Her body was found the next day in a downtown alley.

Todd, a truck driver at the time, was identified by investigators as the suspect, police said.

Authorities believe Todd abandoned his tractor trailer truck at a truck stop in Sioux City, Iowa, after learning about the warrant for his arrest, officials said.

Despite the Denver District Attorney's Office formally charging Todd with one count of first-degree murder in 1997, his whereabouts have been unknown until this week, police said.

It's unclear when Todd will be extradited back to Denver, officials said.