Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office

After nearly two decades, Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office investigators have made an arrest in the homicide of Rebecca Bartee after a tipster contacted law enforcement through a local news reporter. Rebecca Bartee was 41 when she was found dead in her apartment in the 6500 block of S. Dayton St. on June 7, 1999. Bartee, formerly of Hays, was a Deputy District Attorney at the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office when she was killed.

As a result of the tip, new evidence led to the identification of a suspect in the case, which allowed investigators to get an arrest warrant based on probable cause. Yesterday afternoon, investigators arrested 70-year-old Robert Williams, who was still living in the same apartment building where Bartee was killed.

According to the cold-case file, “Bartee was known as a tenacious young District Attorney in Hays, Kansas. When the time came for a fresh start, Rebecca moved to Colorado, where her duties in Arapahoe County included doggedly pursuing deadbeat parents who refused to pay their court-ordered child support. As passionate as she was about her work, Rebecca also dedicated herself to the care of her severely handicapped teenage daughter.”

Anyone with information about this case or other cold cases should contact law enforcement with information, as oftentimes, new leads may be the only way to solve these crimes. We, along with the victim’s family, are thankful someone came forward with new information, even after 18 years.

Williams has been booked into the Arapahoe County Detention Facility on the charge of first degree murder. This charge is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The arrest affidavit in this case has been sealed.

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