Colorado Justice System Under Scrutiny: Repeat Offender Allegedly Murders Mother of Three Weeks After Release

A Colorado man with a history of repeated offenses is facing charges for the shocking murder of his children’s mother, whom he allegedly killed and transported in a shopping cart for several days after her death. The grim discovery occurred just a week after his release from jail.

Thomas Perales, who is homeless and has multiple prior arrests, is accused of the murder of Annette Marie Valdez. Her body was found in a trash can in Westminster on December 4, as reported by 9NEWS.

Perales had a history of violating a protection order that Valdez had obtained against him. He was released from custody just a week before the alleged crime, according to the news outlet.

Valdez, a 37-year-old mother of three, disappeared after not returning from Thanksgiving celebrations. Her family, concerned about her absence, visited her nearby apartment. They found her door unlocked, with her phone and shoes inside, and her keys on the ground outside, which led them to alert the authorities.

Annette Marie Valdez was last seen in Westminster, Colorado, on November 28, 2025, and was discovered deceased on December 4. (GoFundMe)

Authorities found Valdez’s body six days after her disappearance, and Perales was taken into custody the following day, according to 9NEWS.

Fox News Digital was unable to immediately locate an attorney representing Perales. 

Perales told investigators he “blacked out” during an argument with Valdez and put his hand over her mouth while holding her in a headlock, according to an affidavit obtained by 9NEWS.

Thomas Perales is charged with first-degree murder, tampering with a deceased human body, domestic violence and two counts of violation of a protection order, according to the Adams County District Attorney’s Office. (Westminster Police Department)

When Perales realized Valdez was dead, he allegedly panicked and used a trash can he found behind a nearby Safeway to take Valdez’s blanket-wrapped body from the apartment, 9NEWS reported. 

Perales, who reportedly has been homeless for at least two years, then spent several days allegedly carrying Valdez’s body around the area. 

“They’ve said that he was pushing her around in a shopping cart to get her from place to place,” Valdez’s brother, Adam Larson, told 9NEWS, citing conversations he had with members of the local homeless community.

Thomas Perales had been released on probation following a domestic violence case two weeks before he allegedly murdered Annette Marie Valdez last month in Westminster, Colorado, according to 9NEWS. (GoFundMe)

While speaking with investigators, Perales reportedly said, “You know I killed my wife and paraded her around?” 

The coroner later determined injuries to Valdez’s neck are consistent with trauma sustained before her death, but added that decomposition to her body limited the preliminary assessment, according to 9NEWS.

Court records obtained by the outlet indicate Perales has a lengthy criminal history, including multiple domestic violence cases and numerous violations of protection orders issued on behalf of Valdez and the couple’s children.

On Oct. 24, Valdez reportedly called her mother “scared” as she watched Perales on a remote doorbell camera as he attempted to pry open her front door with a knife and kick it in. When officers responded to the scene, they noted that the door’s deadbolt was “so damaged they believed it was slightly ajar” and that the Ring camera and peephole had been covered with red paint. 

Perales was subsequently located nearby carrying a red paint marker, and was arrested on charges of domestic violence, violation of a protection order, criminal mischief and obstructing a peace officer, according to 9NEWS. 

He was sentenced to 12 months of probation by an Adams County judge on Nov. 21 and released from jail, according to 9NEWS.

One week later, Valdez was last seen with Perales and within two weeks, she was dead, the outlet reported. 

“We’ve tried so much to get her away from him,” Larson told 9NEWS. “Every single time she went right back, [saying] ‘That’s my kids’ father.’”

However, the alleged October incident was not the first time police were reportedly called to Valdez’s residence, with one police report indicating authorities were familiar with the unit due to “multiple recent domestic-violence related cases.” 

According to records obtained by 9NEWS, law enforcement officials responded to Valdez’s apartment 67 times over the last two years, with the calls varying in severity from trespassing and unwanted parties to welfare checks and protection order violations. Additionally, nine calls were made to report instances of domestic violence.

Perales is charged with first-degree murder, tampering with a deceased human body, domestic violence and two counts of violation of a protection order, according to the Adams County District Attorney’s Office.