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Slaying was preceded by attack in July, police say

By Tillie Fong, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published December 14, 2007 at 12:30 a.m.

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Hightower had a restraining order placed against him.

Hightower had a restraining order placed against him.

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An Aurora man who was arrested and charged with killing his former girlfriend in her Glendale apartment Tuesday apparently had attacked her in the same place in July, police said.

"They had a prior domestic incident at the same address," police Chief Victor Ross said.

Marcus Hightower, 24, of Aurora, was being held without bail at Arapahoe County Jail on Thursday. He faces first-degree murder charges and made his first court appearance Wednesday.

Abigail Robertson, 21, of Lafayette, died Tuesday from gunshot and stab wounds.

At 1:45 p.m. Tuesday, Glendale police received several calls of a disturbance and shots fired at the Heritage Creek Apartments in the 600 block of South Dahlia Circle.

When officers arrived, they found the apartment door unlocked and Robertson dead inside. They also found bloody footprints leaving the unit.

While investigators were setting up a perimeter around the crime scene, Glendale police received a call from Aurora police, saying that a man had entered the lobby of their headquarters.

"He said he was involved in this (the Glendale) crime," Ross said. "He did not give an explanation."

Hightower was arrested after Glendale officers interviewed him in Aurora.

Officials at Metropolitan State College of Denver confirmed that Hightower and Robertson were students there. He is a freshman, majoring in speech communication, and she was a sophomore business major.

According to Chuck Robertson, Abigail's father, she was on the phone with her current boyfriend at the time she was attacked.

"Her boyfriend heard the whole attack," Chuck Robertson said. "He was the one who called the police."

Chuck Robertson said his daughter had been with Hightower for six to eight months before she broke up with him in July and that was when Hightower first attacked Abigail.

"He hit her and went and slashed all the tires of her car," Chuck Robertson said.

According to court records, Hightower was arrested July 30 and charged with third-degree assault, burglary and criminal mischief. He pleaded guilty to criminal mischief and was sentenced to two years of probation and 48 hours of community service.

Chuck Robertson said Hightower also was ordered in July to have no contact with his daughter. Ross said Abigail Robertson had a restraining order in place against Hightower on Tuesday.

Comments

  • December 14, 2007

    9:37 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    blacksho89 writes:

    Get a restraining order, then get a gun.
    Remember; When seconds count, the police are only minutes away.

  • December 14, 2007

    4:15 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Bree writes:

    I was one of Abby's neighbors for a couple of months..i just moved out and i had to hear from my parents what happened to her..im so so saddened..ive cried most of today..i am sending her family and friends all of my deepest deepest thoughts, prayers and my love..Bree