Suspect arrested in connection with Thornton homicide

Twenty-eight-year-old Anthony Valenta was taken into custody for the stabbing, which occurred at the Maverick gas station at 237 East 120th Avenue just after 5:15 p.m.

A man has been arrested in connection with a fatal Wednesday stabbing in Thornton, according to a Thursday news release by the Thornton Police Department.

Twenty-eight-year-old Anthony Valenta was taken into custody for the stabbing, which occurred at the Maverick gas station at 237 East 120th Avenue just after 5:15 p.m. Wednesday.

Officers were responding to reports of a physical disturbance between a man and a woman, and received information while en route that the man had stabbed the woman, the release said.

The 40-year-old woman was taken to the hospital, where she later died from her injuries.

The woman’s name is being withheld until positive identification can be made by the Adams County Coroner’s Office and her next-of-kin can be notified, the release said. Valenta fled the scene before police arrived, according to the release.

Witnesses gave law enforcement a description of Valenta’s vehicle, and officers found the man driving the vehicle in the area and took him into custody without incident, the release said.

Valenta was arrested for murder and taken to the Adams County Detention Facility.