Aurora, Colorado, 2004: In May of 2004, 53 year old Al Kite was found dead in his basement. It was clear to investigators that he was tortured and brutally murdered. Al was known to be a friendly, kind, and successful man. Unfortunately his life was cut short at the age of only 53.

Who was Al Kite? 🪁

Al was born on May 7th, 1951, in Nash County, North Carolina. He grew up in Halifax County, North Carolina, an are well known for tobacco and cotton farming. Al was raised along side his sister, Barbara, by their parents Oakey Albert Kite Sr., a well known dog trainer and Edith Davis Kite.

During his childhood he began going by his middle name “Al” to distinguish himself from his father.

Al was often viewed as an exceptionally kind, responsible, and quiet person. His friends, and coworkers described him as being dependable and routine-oriented.

According to friends, Al was said to be warm, polite, and easy to get along with.

Al began working as a timekeeper for the engineering firm Stone & Webster in 1971, he eventually worked his way up to becoming an accountant. His time at the firm lasted over 31 years and took him across the U.S. and briefly to North Africa.

In the 1990s, he managed financial accounting for major California projects which included the Bay Area Transit (BART) system and he San Francisco International Airport.

He eventually moved to Aurora, Colorado, where he worked as a senior project manager for Carter-Douglas, an engineering consulting firm based in Denver.

The Fatal Advertisement:

Al kite and Robert cooper met entirely by chance through a roommate advertisement that Al posted. Al lived alone in a large townhouse in Aurora, Colorado, and routinely rented out his furnished basement apartment for extra income and companion ship.

In May 2204, Al’s previous tenant had moved out. To find a replacement, Al posted flyers on bulletin boards at a nearby college library and placed advertisements online and in local newspapers. It was eventually discovered by investigators later discovered that Cooper had been using a burner phone to systemically call various landlords who posted similar ads, suggesting he was actively hunting for a vulnerable target.

The Initial Contact-May 19, 2004

On May 19, 2004, Copper responded to Al’s advertisement. He called Al using a burner phone. During this call, Cooper established his elaborate cover story: he claimed to be an East Coast native relocating to the Denver are for a new corporate job at wells Fargo bank.

The In-Person Meeting

Robert Cooper visited the townhouse to tour the basement apartment. Al had Cooper fill out a rental application. Cooper provided a social security number, a previous Denver address, and employee references.

To make the transaction look legitimate, Cooper handed Al a cash security deposit and a partial Month’s rent. In return, Al handed cooper the keys to the house.

The Near Miss:

During the rental tour, Al’s girlfriend, Linda was visiting and happened to be using the restroom. Al told Cooper that Linda wanted to met him. Rather than wait, Cooper grew visibly uncomfortable, and made a quick excuse about needing to leave, so he hurried out of the door.

Linda only managed to catch a brief, passing glimpse of him; a sighting that would ultimately provide law enforcement with their only eyewitness description of the killer’s face.

One of the sinister twists in this case is that the information Cooper provided on that application; from the social security number had belonged to an elderly woman in Indiana to the reference number routing to a retirement village, was entirely fraudulent. Al had no idea that the background check he ran was validating a completely fabricated ghost identity.

Who is the suspect?:

Witness descriptions from the FBI ViCAP Alert note he was a white male, roughly around 5’10” tall, weighing 170-180 lbs, with brown or black hair. At the time, he appeared to be in his 40s or 50s.

• He spoke with a slight Romanian accent and walked with a noticeable limp, using a cane in his right hand.
• A woman who taught Romanian at a local university met him when he was looking at other rentals and noted that he made the “hair on the back of her neck stand up”
• The burner phone was bought in March 2204. He waited 30 days to active; the exact duration the convenience store held surveillance tapes, ensuring police could never see who bought it.
• The references, social media number, and addresses he provided were completely fabricated.

Timeline of Al Kite’s Final Days (May 2004):

• Mid-May: Al kite posted flyers at local libraries and online seeking a roommate to rent his basement.
• May 19-19: Robert Cooper responded to the ad. He toured the home, gave Kite a cash deposit, and he was handed a house key. Kite’s girlfriend, Linda, briefly saw Cooper during a surprise visit, but Cooper made an excuse and left the house.
• Saturday, May 22 (night): The attack took place. Investigators believe the killer ambushed Al as he walked down the basement stairs.
• Sunday, May 23 (Early morning): An ATM camera captured a masked and a gloved man driving Al’s GMC pickup truck. The man withdrew a sum of money from Al’s bank account was identical to the security deposit Cooper had originally paid. The truck was later driven back and abandoned near Al’s home.
• Monday, May 24: Al missed work, triggering his coworkers to call the Aurora Police Department for a welfare check, leading to the discovery of his body.

This turned out a little bit longer than I anticipated, however, I will post part 2 tomorrow. In the next part I will tackle the crime, the crime scene, the investigation and the grisly discovery of Al’s body.

⚠️ The next part will contain information about murder and the brutality of this crime, if you are very sensitive to topics like this please be advised. ⚠️ if you read only this part, thank you for reading 🪁💙

This is a very unsettling case. I know for me it’s disturbs me a whole lot. Al seemed like an amazing guy who didn’t deserve what happened to him. May he rest in peace, and someday I hope there will be answers.

💙L.W.