Man accused of allegedly shooting woman, hiding her body in bin inside Colorado storage unit

A Colorado man allegedly shot a woman he was living with and then rented a storage unit to stash her body, authorities said.

On May 20 around 9:34 a.m., the Adams County Sheriff Office responded to a call about human remains found in a large trash bin inside a storage unit at a facility in Colorado.

The following day, the sheriff’s office said, a warrant was served at the Thornton home of the unit’s renter, Gregory A. Thomas, 36. Detectives discovered an alleged additional crime scene and gathered more evidence at the property.

Thomas allegedly fled to Washington after authorities located the victim, who the Adams County Coroner determined had been shot to death.

In early June, authorities in Washington located Thomas at an RV park in Lynden, took him into custody on an outstanding Colorado parole violation arrest warrant, and extradited him back to the state, where he was arrested on Monday.

According to an arrest affidavit obtained by Denver’s KCNC-TV, Thomas allegedly told investigators he and the woman met via an escort website and made a pact to “commit white collar crimes” while living together.

He also allegedly claimed the woman once requested he murder her brother, the station reported.

The day of the woman's death, Thomas allegedly said, he shot the woman in self-defense after she pointed a gun at him and accused him of lying about holding up his end of their scheme.

The affidavit states he then “left her on the floor for a while,” and “thought about calling the police but all he could think about was him getting in trouble and going to jail.”

He allegedly purchased the bin the woman’s body was found in and rented the storage unit where it was located.

Thomas currently faces charges of first-degree murder, and tampering with a deceased human body. He is being held in the Adams County Detention Facility.