Squatters in Littleton, Colo., Couple's Home Refuse to Vacate Despite Judge's Ruling

Updated



Despite a judge's ruling that a pair of squatters vacate a Colorado couple's home in two days, two weeks later they are still there, forcing the home's owners to stay put in a relative's basement.

Troy and Dayna Donovan (pictured above) had spent a few months away from their home in Littleton, Colo., and when they returned late last year they found another couple, who claimed that they bought the house, living there.

Veronica Fernandez-Beleta and her husband, Jose Rafael Levya-Caraveo (pictured in the yellow shirt at right), said that a man named Alfonso Carillo offered them a deed of adverse possession -- which purportedly allowed them, for $5,000, to take over the Donovans' house as abandoned property.

Earlier this month, the Donovans won an eight-month legal battle against the two in their home, and a judge ordered Fernandez-Beleta and Levya-Caraveo to vacate in two days.

See more of the Donovans' backstory on AOL Real Estate.

But that wasn't the end of the story.

As CBS Denver reported, Fernandez-Beleta and Levya-Caraveo have filed a "flurry of legal paperwork," and are still living in the home on Mabre Court (pictured below). First, the two took the Donovans to court after the Donovans walked into the house through an unlocked door. The home occupants said that they were afraid for their safety and they were granted a restraining order, keeping the Donovans away from their own home.

Then, Fernandez-Beleta filed for bankruptcy, canceling the entire eviction process just hours before sheriffs were scheduled to remove them from the property.

"The Sheriff's Office will not proceed with an eviction if there is a bankruptcy in question," Arapahoe County Undersheriff David Walcher told the TV station.

This means that a Federal Bankruptcy Court will have to determine ownership of the house, which could take months, CBS Denver said.

But the Donovans aren't the only victims in this case. Fernandez-Beleta and Levya-Caraveo seemingly were conned by Carillo, a real estate agent whose license was revoked. Carillo has already been arrested twice in similar cases. In Colorado, a property can only be claimed through adverse possession if it is vacant for 18 years; the Donovans were only gone for six months.

"You're going to lose your money, and you're going to lose the house eventually," criminal investigator Daniel Chun told Fernandez-Beleta and Levya-Caraveo.

When asked why they haven't left the home yet, Fernandez-Beleta and Levya-Caraveo's daughter, Caren, told OurLittletonNews.com: "We were going to leave on Thursday [July 19th], but then the reporters came yelling, so we went back inside and decided to stay."

She said her family is unsure of what to do, and they can't afford to move.

The Donovans are still living in a relative's basement with their two children, possibly for the next several months, as this ordeal continues.

See also:
Housing Discrimination: Disability-Related Complaints Soar
Banks' Paperwork Foul-Up Cost Atlanta Woman Her Home
'This Is Crazy': Company Snatches Condos from Owners

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