Grand Junction Murder Suspect Taken Into Custody

Mesa County authorities made an arrest Thursday in connection with a homicide in Clifton last week.

Following up on leads about their whereabouts, the Mesa County Sheriff's Office says 56-year-old Frank Kurtz and 37-year-old Charity Perschbacher were arrested Thursday without incident. The pair was found walking in the vicinity of 32 3/8 Road and White Avenue in Clifton, the same area where the murder of 36-year-old Marcos Bencomo occurred.

The homicide occurred at about 3:30 on the afternoon of January 21 outside a residence on White Avenue near 32 3/8 Road. Police arrived on the scene and found Bencomo with a gunshot wound to the head, but life-saving measures were unsuccessful and he died at the scene.

Eye-witnesses had reported a black Jeep Liberty leaving the scene, which was located a short time later in the parking lot of the Clifton Nature Park on D Road. Kurtz and Perschbacher were identified as persons of interest.

Kurtz was arrested on an outstanding warrant for the charges of Murder in the First Degree and Possession of a Weapon by a Previous Offender. Perschbacher is facing felony drug and weapon possession charges related to the shooting. Both are being held at the Mesa County Detention Facility.

The investigation into the homicide is continuing.