American Airlines flight attendant, 71, stabbed to death during layover - man arrested after random attacks left two dead and two injured

Celinda Levno, 71, of Phoenix, Arizona, was one of four victims attacked in Denver 16th between Saturday (11 January) and Sunday night (12 January). The first three attacks occurred on Saturday between 5 and 6pm. Police reported that Levno was stabbed in the throat at 5:17pm.

The other two victims survived and sustained non-life threatening injuries, according to Denver police. On Sunday at around 8pm, another person was stabbed and killed in the same area.

Police identified Elijah D. Caudill, 24, as the suspect and took him into custody later that night. Before police learned about the fourth victim, they were on 16th Street and saw a man, later identified as Caudill, running with a knife.

The suspect was formally arrested and charged on Monday morning (13 January). He stands accused of first-degree murder of an at-risk elder, first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder, police told the Daily Mail. American Airlines told the Daily Mail: “We are heartbroken and mourning the tragic loss of our colleague who was the victim of a senseless crime.

“Our thoughts and support are with her family, loved ones and colleagues, and we are doing all we can to assist law enforcement in its investigation.” Levno recently celebrated 35 years working as a flight attendant, starting in 1989, according to a statement from the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA).

APFA said: “With great sadness, we inform you of the passing of Phoenix-based Flight Attendant Celinda Levno while on layover in Denver. Celinda's love for her horses, friends, and family will always be remembered. We stand in support with Celinda's family, friends, and our colleagues in Phoenix Inflight as they process this senseless tragedy.”

CBS reported that Caudill has an criminal record, including four failure-to-appear warrants in Denver for misdemeanour arrests in 2024. His prior arrests came with charges of criminal mischief, assault and sexual contact-no consent and indecent exposure in 2024.

In 2022, he was arrested for attempted robbery and assault in Thornton. A year before that, he was charged with assault in Westminster.