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Family Pleads For Help After 77-Year-Old Is Murdered

By Jeff Todd

DENVER (CBS4) - A week after a gruesome homicide near Cheesman Park, police and the victim's family are hoping someone with information will come help the case.

"He was a sweet, loving man. He would just make anybody laugh no matter who you were. He would just make jokes all the time. It didn't matter who you were. He just wanted to make everyone happy," said Dariann Hansen, the victim's granddaughter.

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CBS4's Jeff Todd interviews Dariann Hansen (credit: CBS)

On Nov. 22, Lewis Easterday, 77, was found stabbed multiple times inside his car at the intersection of Marion Street and 13th Avenue. Easterday frequented the area.

"I don't think if they knew him they would do that to him. Because he wouldn't have any enemies or make somebody mad to do that to him, so it had to be random," Hansen said.

Police aren't saying much about the investigation.

Lewis Easterday
Lewis Easterday (credit: Denver Police)

"There was nobody here yet. The car was just sitting in the road facing north and its hood was up, and that's why I glanced over," said Chris Dodson, who was the first person on scene and called 911.

"Looked like there could have been foul play, I guess. I mean that's exactly what it was," Dodson said. "What this guy did to the man was pretty harsh and you don't want somebody like that on the street period."

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CBS4's Jeff Todd interviews Chris Dodson. (credit: CBS)

"We're hoping someone, if they've seen what happened, they'll have the courage to come forward and say something. Because there had to be someone who saw something and he didn't deserve this," said Hansen.

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(credit: CBS)

Additional Information From The Denver Police Department

Remain anonymous and earn up to $2,000. Call Crime Stoppers at (720) 913-STOP (7867). Text to CRIMES (274637) then title DMCS and enter the message, or send an e-mail to metro-denvercrimestoppers.com; or use the Metro Denver Crime Stoppers mobile app which is immediately available as a free download on smartphones.

Jeff Todd joined the CBS4 team in 2011 covering the Western Slope in the Mountain Newsroom. Since 2015 he's been working across the Front Range in the Denver Headquarters. Follow him on Twitter @CBS4Jeff.

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