Parachute man arrested in cold case homicide

Man living in his vehicle was found shot to death on May 11, 2021

PRESS RELEASE
May 14, 2024

On May 11, 2021, the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of a male subject who was found bleeding and unresponsive in his car on Highway 6, just west of Parachute, CO. The party was ultimately identified as Wayne Moore, a local man who lived in his vehicle in Parachute and surrounding areas. He was unfortunately deceased. An initial investigation of the scene by investigators with the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) that night, determined Mr. Moore had been the victim of a homicide and had been shot multiple times.

During the next several weeks, months, and over the next three years, Garfield County Sheriff’s Office investigators worked tirelessly conducting dozens of witness interviews, multiple search warrants, and analyzing physical evidence. As a result, investigators were able to identify John Michael Worley, a 30-year-old male from Parachute, as the primary suspect in the murder of Mr. Moore.

On May 10, 2024, almost three years to the day of the murder of Mr. Moore, Garfield County Sheriff’s Office Investigators had been able to develop enough evidence to obtain an arrest warrant. John Worley was arrested on the evening of May 10, 2024, without incident and charged with:

1) Murder in the First Degree, a class 1 Felony
2) Stalking, a class 5 Felony
3) Tampering with Physical Evidence a class 6 Felony

John Michael Worley was transported to the Garfield County Jail, his bond was set at $5,000,000.

The Garfield County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, the Parachute Police Department, the 9th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, and the Garfield County Special Problem Enforcement and Response (SPEAR) Team, for their assistance in this investigation.