Oakey Albert Kite Jr.

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

Aurora Police Department (CO)

Offense Location:

Aurora, Colorado

Summary:

On the evening of May 22, 2004, Oakey Albert "Al" Kite Jr., a 53-year-old engineering consultant, was bound, tortured, and stabbed to death in the basement of his Aurora, Colorado home by a tenant using the alias "Robert Cooper." The suspect fled in Kite's truck and withdrew cash from an ATM. Despite DNA genealogy testing and FBI involvement, the case remains unsolved.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Offense:

Oakey Albert "Al" Kite Jr., 53, was an engineering consultant who lived alone at 2002 S. Helena Street in Aurora, Colorado. In May 2004, he placed a newspaper advertisement seeking a boarder for his basement. A man introduced himself as Robert Cooper, claiming to be relocating from the East Coast for work in the technology sector. The man met Kite on May 18, 2004, paid a half-month's rent and a security deposit, and moved in. On the evening of May 22, 2004, Kite was bound, tortured for several hours, and fatally stabbed with his own kitchen knives, which were later found soaking in bleach. His body was discovered in the basement on May 24, 2004, when concerned coworkers contacted police after he failed to report to work. The Aurora Police Department opened a homicide investigation under case number 04-25362. Detective Thomas Sobieski was the lead investigator. Following the murder, the suspect stole Kite's blue-gray GMC pickup truck and drove to a nearby Wells Fargo ATM, where he withdrew approximately $1,000 from Kite's account. Surveillance footage captured the suspect wearing a ski mask and gloves during the transaction. The truck was later recovered approximately a block and a half from Kite's home. Kite's cell phone was subsequently found in a pay phone booth. Every piece of identifying information "Robert Cooper" had provided was fabricated. His Social Security number belonged to an 80-year-old woman in Indiana; his listed address was an elementary school in Denver; and his reference telephone number was that of an Aurora retirement village. The burner cell phone he used had been purchased at a convenience store in March 2004 but was not activated until 30 days later — precisely as long as the store retained its surveillance footage. Witnesses described the suspect as a white male in his forties or fifties, approximately 5'10", 170 to 180 pounds, with black or dark curly hair, who walked with a limp or used a cane and may have spoken with a slight Romanian accent. A blood drop found on the basement stairs was submitted to the FBI's National Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), yielding no matching profiles. Ancestry analysis linked the suspect's lineage to southeastern Europe, possibly the Balkan region. In December 2017, Aurora Police released a forensic composite image — generated through DNA phenotyping by a Virginia-based company — depicting what the suspect may have looked like at age 25. Analysis indicated the suspect had brown eyes, dark hair, and southeastern European ancestry. In November 2019, retired investigator Paul Holes — recognized for his work identifying the Golden State Killer — collaborated with Aurora Police and examined case evidence as part of the Oxygen network series "The DNA of Murder with Paul Holes." Aurora Police submitted the blood sample for forensic genetic genealogy testing, and the FBI is currently building family trees based on the results in an effort to identify "Robert Cooper." The case remains open. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Aurora Police Department at (303) 739-6103.

Additional Details:

A male who rented a room from Mr. Kite prior to his murder is the primary suspect in this case. The renter, who identified himself as "Robert Cooper," claimed to be from the East Coast and to work for Wells Fargo Bank. He provided false identification and contact information on his rental application. Witnesses generally described the suspect male as white, in his forties or fifties, 5’10", 170 to 180 pounds, with black or brown hair. Witnesses reported that he walked with a limp and used a cane, and another reported that he spoke with a possible Romanian accent.

Case Last Updated:

May 25, 2026