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A Colorado repeat offender is accused of brutally murdering the mother of his children before spending several days pushing her lifeless body around in a shopping cart – just a week after being released from jail.
Thomas Perales, a homeless man with multiple prior arrests, is accused of killing Annette Marie Valdez after her body was discovered inside a Westminster trash can on Dec. 4, according to 9NEWS.
Perales had violated a protection order taken out by Valdez numerous times, and had been released from jail just a week before the alleged murder, the outlet reported.
The 37-year-old mother of three was last seen the day after Thanksgiving when she didn’t return to her family’s festivities, the outlet reported. Valdez’s loved ones subsequently went to her nearby apartment, where they reportedly found the door unlocked, her phone and shoes inside, and her keys on the ground outside, prompting them to call authorities.
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Annette Marie Valdez, a 37-year-old mother of three, went missing in Westminster, Colorado, on Friday, Nov. 28, 2025. She was found dead on Dec. 4. (GoFundMe)
Valdez’s body was discovered six days later inside a trash can, with authorities taking Perales into custody the next day, 9NEWS reported.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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“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.
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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.