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Slain man's jewelry taken as he died, family says

Aunt: 2 gold necklaces ripped from his neck

Betsy Lehndorff, Rocky Mountain News

Published November 6, 2007 at midnight

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Moments after Theodore "Ted" Padilla was gunned down on a LoDo sidewalk, an assailant ripped two valuable gold necklaces from his neck as he lay dying in his cousin's arms.

One was a heavy white-gold dog tag decorated with four carats of diamonds. The other was a custom-made gold Mestizo calendar, similar to an Aztec calendar, that his Aunt Shirley had given to him.

Shirley, who asked to be identified only by her first name, struggled to control her grief and anger as she spoke Monday afternoon.

"My nephew loved everybody every day of the week, seven days a week. And now he's dead and his jewelry is gone," she said.

Although police would not confirm the theft of the jewelry, it played a role, witnesses said, in a confrontation that began at Hush, a low-profile, basement-level club on Larimer Square.

The 25-year-old Padilla and his friends were celebrating the 22nd birthday of his cousin, Dale Sasse.

Their party was interrupted when another group began taunting Padilla about the jewelry he wore, according to his aunt.

"Someone made a comment about adding those to their collection," she said.

Eventually the second group was ejected from the club, but stayed in the area, according to some reports. Padilla and his friends left the club when it closed at 2 a.m., and walked west on 15th Street, followed by the first group.

Within moments, gunshots rang out, hitting Padilla and seven of his friends.

Padilla died in the arms of his cousin. He had time for just a few words.

"He told my son, 'Happy birthday,' and 'help me, help me,' " Shirley said.

Padilla, the father of three young sons, had a minor criminal record, including arrests for drugs, assault and destruction of private property, but didn't have any charges after August 2003.

Those closest to him said he loved his boys. "He was a wonderful guy," said Ernie Medina as he stood Monday morning at the flower-strewn makeshift memorial on 15th Street. "It was all about his family. I'm really angry right now. I don't know what to say."

Padilla's family released a statement saying, "Theodore Padilla was a father of three and will not be able to raise his boys; to their sorrow and ours."

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