Prosecutors in Colorado have filed a fourth murder charge against a man already accused in three separate killings, expanding a case that has drawn scrutiny over parole decisions and public safety oversight.
Authorities in Arapahoe County announced in late February that Ricky Roybal-Smith is now charged in connection with the 2022 death of Meg Eberhart, a case that had remained unresolved for nearly three years. The new charge comes while the suspect is already awaiting trial for three other homicide investigations across the Denver metro area.
According to investigators, Eberhart was attacked on the morning of June 22, 2022, after requesting a brief stop during a Lyft ride in Englewood. The driver later reported hearing her scream and immediately triggering the emergency alert function on his phone to summon police.
Officers responding to the scene discovered Eberhart unconscious. She was rushed to a hospital but never regained consciousness and died several days later. Despite an autopsy that could not determine a specific cause of death, detectives recommended pursuing a homicide charge against Roybal-Smith, who had been located near the scene and denied involvement.
For years, the case remained under review before Arapahoe County prosecutors formally filed a second-degree murder charge on February 25.
The suspect was already being held in custody for a series of killings that occurred in 2025. Police in Aurora had been investigating Roybal-Smith in the fatal stabbings of two homeless men — Jesse Shafer and Scott Davenport — who were killed roughly an hour apart on June 29, 2025.
Authorities allege the attacks were extremely violent. Investigators say Shafer suffered about 15 stab wounds, while Davenport was stabbed roughly 90 times in the back.
Later that same night, Roybal-Smith was arrested by Denver police in connection with a hit-and-run crash involving two pedestrians. He was taken to the Denver jail and booked.
Hours after his arrest, another fatal incident occurred inside the facility.
Around 2 a.m., Roybal-Smith reportedly alerted a deputy that his cellmate, Vincent Chacon, needed help because he was choking on an apple. Chacon had been jailed on a traffic violation and was scheduled for release.
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However, an autopsy later determined that Chacon’s death was not accidental. Medical examiners ruled the cause of death a homicide caused by “asphyxia due to external compression of the neck” or strangulation.
Charges related to Chacon’s death were filed several months later in November.
Investigators have also revealed that Roybal-Smith was on parole during all four alleged killings, including Eberhart’s death in 2022. At that time, he had been released for a 2015 vehicular assault and DUI conviction.
Records show he was also paroled again in 2023 while serving a sentence tied to a menacing case in 2022. That incident reportedly occurred at a local Walmart, where authorities said he threatened customers during a violent outburst the day before Eberhart was attacked.
Officials say a classification change in 2022 may have played a significant role in his repeated releases. Roybal-Smith’s status was reportedly adjusted from “high risk” to reoffend to “moderate risk,” a designation that remained unchanged until the 2025 killings.
Court records indicate the suspect had already been granted parole multiple times since 2011.
Roybal-Smith now faces charges tied to four separate deaths: the killing of Eberhart in Arapahoe County, two stabbing murders in Aurora, and the alleged strangulation of Chacon inside the Denver jail.
He has remained in custody since his arrest last summer while prosecutors prepare for multiple trials related to the cases.
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