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The panicked caller reported that his neighbours house was seriously on fire with thick black smoke.
The caller also insisted that his neighbour might still be inside the burning house.
The homeowners car was parked in the driveway, and their dog was barking frantically from the backyard.
Firefighters arrived within minutes, but the blaze had already burnt much of the house.
After putting out the fire, a dead body was found lying inside the house.
The victim couldn’t be identified immediately because the remains were severely burnt.
However through dental records, the victim was later identified as Christopher Dickerson, the owner of the burnt house
He was a 35-year-old man who had recently moved into the home, and was proud of finally owning his own place.
Sadly, he didn't live long to enjoy his house.
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| Christopher Dickerson and his dog Juna |
The Criminal Investigation That Followed
When crime scene investigators looked through the ashes, they discovered this was no accident.
Dickerson had been murdered before the fire ever started.
An autopsy revealed five deep stab wounds clustered in one part of his neck.
The murder weapon which was a broken metal file, was still lodged in his flesh.
Furthermore, there was no smoke in his lungs, proving he was already dead before the fire.
Investigators also noticed something strange about the crime scene.
Dickerson’s bedroom had been ransacked and his engagement ring, which was returned to him after a failed relationship, was missing.
This suggested that someone had killed Christopher Dickerson in cold blood, stolen from him, and then tried to hide the crime by burning his house down.
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| Christopher Dickerson |
How Were Christopher Dickerson’s Killers Caught?
When criminal investigators retraced Christopher Dickerson's movements that night using security cameras, they got a promising lead.
CCTV footage showed him leaving a club called Quedes Bar around 2 a.m. on October 3, 2021.
Moments later, a silver Chevy Malibu was seen following Dickerson’s car as he drove home.
A Ring doorbell camera on Dickerson’s street later captured the Malibu pulling into his driveway behind him.
Two women were seen entering the house with Dickerson but after some time, the women left without him.
Around 5:08 a.m., surveillance cameras recorded the women as they came back to Dickerson’s home.
This time, only one of the women walked into Dickerson’s house, while the second waited in the Malibu.
Right after the woman went back inside, bright lights flashed in the windows and a fire started inside the house.
The woman then exited and calmly walked back to the waiting car, and they escaped
By this time, Christopher Dickerson’s home was fully engulfed in flames.
License plate readers across Greeley tracked the Malibu’s movements—leading detectives straight to 19-year-old Stacy Rodriguez.
The car was registered to her brother, and CCTV videos confirmed she and her girlfriend Varela Hosanna had been using it that night.
When questioned by detectives, both women denied ever meeting Dickerson or going to his house that night.
But detectives already had undeniable proof placing them at the scene.
On November 11, 2021, Greeley police arrested both women and charged them with first-degree murder, arson, and burglary.
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| Hosanna Varela |
What really happened that night?: Hosanna Varela’s Confession
After months of denying any involvement, 24-year-old Hosanna Varela eventually cracked under pressure.
She took a plea deal for a reduced sentence and agreed to tell criminal investigators the truth about that night.
Varela said that she and Stacy Rodriguez met Dickerson at Quedes Bar in Greeley on October 2, 2021.
After some drinks, Dickerson invited them back to his house for an after-party.
What was supposed to be a relaxed night quickly took a dark turn, when Rodriguez got jealous.
According to Varela, things started going wrong after Dickerson had playfully "slapped her backside twice" while they were drinking.
She said this allegedly made her girlfriend furious.
Varela claimed she didn’t take it seriously—but Rodriguez did.
At some point, Rodriguez and Dickerson got into an argument in the kitchen.
Varela claimed Rodriguez threw beer bottles at Dickerson’s head which made him bleed.
She said she later heard Rodriguez stab Dickerson repeatedly but she wasn't in the kitchen with them.
After killing Dickerson, the two women stole items from his house, including his wallet and possibly his missing engagement ring.
Varela claimed she waited in the car while Rodriguez went inside to light the fire.
Surveillance footage later showed Rodriguez walking calmly out of the burning house as if she had no fear of getting caught.
Varela insisted she only went along with everything because she was scared of Rodriguez.
She described Rodriguez as violent, and controlling, and even claimed she had bragged about killing four people before.
But whether out of fear or guilt, her confession became the key piece of evidence that exposed the truth.
Christopher Dickerson wasn’t just murdered; he was betrayed by people he thought were just having drinks with him.
While in jail, Rodriguez wrote several notes to Varela on paper towels, telling her to "play dumb" and "keep the same story."
One even instructed Varela to flush the note after reading it —but it was intercepted by investigators instead.
These letters, combined with Varela’s testimony ultimately sealed Rodriguez’s fate.
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| Christopher Dickerson |
Justice For Christopher Dickerson
In February 2025, Stacy Rodriguez faced trial in Weld County, Colorado.
She was charged with first-degree murder, first-degree arson, tampering with a deceased human body, and two counts of second-degree burglary.
During the trial, Rodriguez claimed Dickerson started the fight that night.
She said he became aggressive after she questioned him about a metal file on his table.
She told the jury Dickerson leaned over her and yelled in her face before she pushed him away in self-defense.
She admitted to stabbing Dickerson but said it was not premeditated.
She claimed they struggled over the murder weapon, and she stabbed him only to stop the attack.
She said she didn’t remember how many times.
Rodriguez also admitted to setting the fire but said she did it because Varela told her to.
She claimed Varela was the one who took Dickerson’s things and pressured her into burning the house.
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| Stacy Rodriguez smiling in court |
The prosecution however disagreed with Rodriguez’s version and built their case on undeniable evidence.
They proved Rodriguez didn’t just kill Dickerson—she stabbed him five times on his neck, showing clear intent.
After the murder, she and Varela stole from his home, then returned to deliberately set the house on fire to cover their tracks.
Jailhouse letters she’d written to Varela, telling her to “play dumb” and “keep the same story" were also shown to the Jury.
Additionally, Rodriguez smiled and laughed in court during the trial, even as Dickerson’s family wept.
In the end, the jury agreed with prosecutors—this was murder, not self-defense.
After two weeks of testimony, the jury found Rodriguez guilty of all charges.
In March 2025, Judge Vincente Vigil sentenced her to life in prison without parole for murder, as reported by Weldda News
She also received an additional 32 years for arson and 12 years for tampering with the body which would run consecutively.
The two burglary charges added another 12 years each, though those would run concurrently.
Rodriguez’s girlfriend Hosanna Varela had already pleaded guilty in November 2023 to reduced charges.
She was initially charged with first-degree arson, tampering with a body, and accessory to a crime.
In exchange for her truthful testimony against Rodriguez, Varela received a 32-year prison sentence —a deal that spared her a potential life sentence for murder.
For Dickerson’s family, the verdict brought a measure of justice, though no true peace.
His father, Allen, spoke at the sentencing, remembering his son as a man who loved hiking, his dog Juna, and had just bought his first home—a life stolen in one brutal night.
While Varela’s cooperation secured her a shorter sentence, the trial ensured Rodriguez would never walk free again.
Got a tip about a crime? Please contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS immediately.
You can also see how to report a crime anonymously online if you wish to remain anonymous.
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