The Murder of Thomas Gregory Cristiano, July 1970

Thomas Cristiano was born on December 19, 1950 in Denver, Colorado, where he also spent much of his early childhood. He lived with his parents, Joseph Frank Cristiano and Verna Louise Cristiano (nee Place), and his siblings, David and Virginia. Thomas attended high school in Montrose, Montrose County, CO, where his parents were living at the time of their son's death. Some sources may spell the family's surname as "Christiano."

Thomas's father had moved his family to Montrose "to get away from the crime and violence we saw there" in Denver. Thomas, however, eventually went back to Denver to be near a school where he was taking a "correspondence computer course." He was employed at the Western Drive Inn on East Colfax Avenue in Denver.

Thomas also had an interest in art. According to letters written to his family, he had planned to paint a night scene of the State Capitol Building at some point. 

Photo from CBI.

Late in the evening of Friday, July 3, 1970, Denver police received a call stating that a shooting had taken place on the west side of the Capitol Building. There they found Thomas slumped in the front seat of his car on the grounds of the State Capitol at East 14th Avenue and Sherman Street in Denver. An unknown suspect had shot Thomas before fleeing the scene. 

Thomas was reportedly still conscious when he was discovered. He had been shot at least once, though sources vary as to where: he either had "a head wound from a gunshot," or was "bleeding heavily from a chest wound."

Thomas was immediately transported to Denver General Hospital, but unfortunately died in the emergency ward that night, shortly after his arrival at about 10:35pm.

According to one newspaper clipping from July 5, 1970, witnesses reportedly said that, "four men were clustered around the victim's car just before the incident. They said they heard a loud bang and the sound of glass breaking." A later newspaper article stated that witnesses near the capitol said that they saw four men running from the area. After the gunshot was heard, the car then reportedly "rolled into the street, coasted about 160 yards from the Capitol grounds and crashed into a retaining wall." From this description it seems that Thomas's vehicle may not have been parked.

There was no evidence of robbery. An autopsy was reportedly ordered, but the results were never disclosed to the public. Few details are available in Thomas's case. As of three days after his death, police had no suspects in the murder. By mid-August 1970, detectives had no leads in the case, and Thomas's father Joseph had offered a reward for information leading to the arrest of an assailant.

Anyone with information that could assist with the investigation into Thomas's murder is urged to contact the Denver Police Department at (720) 913-2000. The agency case number is 70-419923. 

Informants may also call the Crime Stoppers Tip Line at (720) 913-STOP (7867) or submit one online. According to the Denver PD, callers may remain anonymous and can receive a reward of up to $2,000. 

Note: Thomas was shot and killed the day before Independence Day / the Fourth of July. See the Holiday & Events Reference Page for an explanation as to why this is being mentioned. 

Sources 

CBI

Denver PD

FindAGrave

Obituary

Fort Collins Coloradoan 7/5/70

Grand Junction Daily Sentinel 7/6/70, 8/15/70