NEWNow you can listen to Fox News articles!
A Colorado parolee who was once described as a “very high” risk of recidivism has now been charged with four separate murders in three states – including three murders related to the alleged 2025 crime.
Ricky Lee Roybal-Smith, 38, is charged with two counts of murder in Adams County, one in Denver and one recently filed manslaughter in Arapahoe County related to the 2022 death.
He is being held without bond at a Denver jail, prosecutors confirmed.
In 2022, Roybal-Smith was accused of threatening customers at a retail store. A day later, a woman named Meg Eberhart was found unconscious at the train station and died days later, 9NEWS reported. Police suspect foul play and are focusing on Roybal-Smith, who was on parole for a previous conviction at the time. But prosecutors did not file charges because the coroner ruled the cause of death “undetermined.”
Ricky Lee Roybal-Smith faces multiple murder charges in three Colorado counties, according to prosecutors. (Denver Police Department)
Instead, Roybal-Smith was sentenced to four years for the incident at the store.
REPEAT OFFENDER FOR MURDER ARRESTED IN BRUTAL PRISON ATTACK, ESCAPE HOURS AFTER CATCH.
According to 9NEWS, Roybal-Smith later became eligible for parole and was released in January 2025 after his risk level was lowered from “very high” to “moderate.”
In just a few months, police say he’s sparked violence in Aurora.
According to police and the Adams County Coroner’s Office, Roybal-Smith stabbed and killed two homeless men in separate incidents. Authorities say one of the homeless men was stabbed 90 times.
KILLING SUSPECT IN BALTIMORE HITTING SPREE WAS AN EXPERIENCE, RECORDS SHOW
An Aurora police car is seen at the scene after authorities arrested Ricky Lee Roybal-Smith in connection with a series of murders and violent incidents in the Denver metro area. (Aurora Police Department)
Later that day, Roybal-Smith was arrested in Denver in connection with an alleged hit-and-run involving two pedestrians, according to Law & Crime.
After being arrested, his cellmate, Vincent Chacon, 36, was found dead a few hours later.
The Denver Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Chacon’s death a homicide caused by “asphyxia due to external compression of the neck,” or strangulation. Roybal-Smith has been charged with murder in the case. He was also charged with two counts of murder related to the deaths of these homeless men.
In addition, prosecutors charged Roybal-Smith with second-degree murder in connection with Erhart’s death in 2022.
“While the Arapahoe County Coroner’s autopsy procedure has not changed, our office has continued to review the evidence… and has determined that a charge of Second-Degree Murder is appropriate at this time,” Assistant District Attorney Ryan Brackley told Fox News Digital. “Like all cases we open, we will only pursue them if we believe the evidence can prove the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”
District Attorney Amy Padden added that while her office does not control parole decisions, the case raises broader concerns.
“We know of several repeat offenders who have been released from prison and released earlier than expected to commit other crimes,” said Padden. “The right to parole should be granted only if there is substantial evidence of rehabilitation, acceptance of responsibility, and lack of danger to the community.”
An Arapahoe County spokesman confirmed that Roybal-Smith is off the streets and is being held on a misdemeanor charge related to his Denver case.
A shocking video captures a criminal who once again attacked a 75-year-old woman, gouging out her eye with a sharp knife.
An interior view of the Arapahoe County Detention Center in Colorado, which was used as reference footage in a case involving multiple murders in the Denver metro area. (RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post)
A 9NEWS investigative series previously reported that Roybal-Smith’s scores contained errors and that he was downgraded before he was released.
GOT ADVICE?
Fox News Digital reached out to the Colorado Department of Corrections and the Colorado State Board of Parole for comment but did not receive a response by publication.
George Brauchler, the Republican district attorney for Colorado’s 23rd District, said the case reflects broader sentencing and parole policy changes.
FOLLOW US ON X
A “We lead with our humanity” sign at the Van Cise-Simonet Detention Center in Denver, Colorado on Thursday, August 3, 2023. (Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)
GET NEWS VIA EMAIL
“This is getting attention because it’s incredibly big — a guy killed three people and threatened another,” Brauchler said. “But parole violators happen everywhere all the time.”
Brauchler said Colorado has reduced incarceration rates as the population has grown.
George Brauchler, the Republican district attorney for Colorado’s 23rd Judicial District, said dangerous people are being put back on the street. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE FOR MORE NEWS
“The simple answer is that this state, through the Legislature and the governor and the parole board, made a wise decision to choose to put these people back on the street and put the public at risk rather than use tax dollars to keep them incarcerated,” he said.
Colorado Senate Minority Leader Cleave Simpson also criticized the state’s parole program, calling the case a “huge failure” in Colorado’s criminal justice system.
“These latest cases in this tragic case highlight a serious failure in Colorado’s criminal justice system,” Simpson said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Families are sad today because he was allowed to return to our streets.”
Simpson said the case underscores the need to strengthen parole oversight and ensure that violent offenders serve appropriate sentences.
“Parole should not become a door for those who break the law with violence,” he said. “Public safety must always be a priority here in Colorado.”
He added that government agencies must be held accountable if the failure of programs contributes to the recurrence of crimes.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS PROGRAM
Eberhart’s daughter, Zada Veniegas, previously told 9NEWS that she felt relieved when she learned that prosecutors had finally filed charges in her mother’s death.
“At least the truth of what he did is officially acknowledged,” he said. “I think it’s important that he’s not forgotten.”
Roybal-Smith is scheduled to appear in court in Adams County on March 30 and remains in custody without bond.
Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicide and immigration crime. Send news tips to stepheny.price@fox.com.
Related Article
