The man accused of fatally stabbing a University of Colorado Colorado Springs professor last year has allegedly used his brother’s name as an alias for decades, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said.

Ceasar Lorenzo Wilson, 53, was arrested in Lincoln County on Aug. 23 — only weeks after the alleged murder of Haleh Abghari on Aug. 7 in Colorado Springs.

According to Captain Michael Yowell with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, he was arrested after stealing a car and fleeing law enforcement by driving through pastures and crop fields.

Yowell said that Ceasar Wilson took off running, but a deputy, who happens to run marathons, chased him down.

Upon booking, Ceasar Wilson gave officers his brother’s name (Charles Edward Wilson Jr.) and date of birth, Yowell said. The physical description that popped up when deputies ran his name through their database appeared to match. Yowell said the brothers looked “strikingly similar” and were only a few years apart in age.

Ceasar Wilson’s fingerprints were taken and sent off to the state — but Yowell said his department was never notified that he was anyone other than the “Charles” alias he provided.

In the Lincoln County case, Ceasar Wilson is sentenced to a year in prison — still under his brother’s name. After several months in jail, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office received a call from the state asking the agency for information on the Wilson they had in custody.

A few weeks after that, Colorado Springs police also called Lincoln County, requesting all processing information on Ceasar/Charles Wilson. CSPD investigators told Lincoln County officials that they believed the man arrested on Aug. 23 may be the suspect on the run for the alleged UCCS professor homicide.

Long-term deception

Yowell said the methods that law enforcement usually uses to help identify individuals all failed in regards to the Wilsons due to a historical mistake.

The story of the Wilson brothers swapping names dates back to 1988 in North Carolina, Yowell said. According to him, from the years of 1988 to 1997, Ceasar Wilson and his brother allegedly committed dozens of crimes throughout North Carolina and Georgia. Yowell said the crimes ranged from armed robbery to stolen vehicles to narcotics.

At some point, Ceasar Wilson is caught and is taken into custody. At the time, he provided his brother’s name and information. Ceasar Wilson’s fingerprints and DNA were then registered under his brother’s name.

“Here’s the half-million dollar question — What crimes were committed by Caesar that he used the name Charles for? What crimes did Charles do?” Yowell said. “There’s a very high likelihood that Caesar used his brother’s name, and maybe even did time for his brother.”

Yowell said it appears Charles Wilson spent a “lot of time” in the North Carolina Department of Corrections throughout the years for various crimes including assault, weapons and robberies.

Ceasar Wilson faces second-degree murder and first-degree burglary charges in the homicide case. He also is accused of assault and kidnapping charges after an incident involving his mother in July in Fountain.

Court records show he bailed out of jail in the Fountain case, allegedly killed Abghari and then failed to appear for an Aug. 12 court hearing in the assault and kidnapping case — before heading east to commit crimes in Lincoln County, where his true identity would finally come to light.

Ceasar Wilson was transferred into El Paso County jail on March 27, roughly seven months since his arrest in Lincoln County.

Now, law enforcement in both El Paso County and Lincoln County are investigating which brothers committed which crimes, dating back to 1988. Yowell said theColorado Springs Police Department is involved and detectives are conducting a “redo” of all the records attached to both Wilsons.

“We’re throwing the book out, and we’re going to write a new one, and it starts right now,” Yowell said.

As of Wednesday, the Colorado Department of Corrections still has Ceasar Wilson identified as his brother because the state still recognizes him as such, Yowell said. The Department of Corrections also does fingerprinting upon booking, but similar to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, the prints were never flagged because of the mistake made between 1988 and 1997.

Wilson is being held at the El Paso County jail on a parole hold as of Wednesday afternoon. He is listed in the jail inmate log with his real name — Ceasar Lorenzo Wilson.

“CSPD is very grateful for the cooperation of partner agencies to help us bring Mr. Wilson into our custody, so the process of justice for Ms. Abghari can begin,” Colorado Springs Police Department spokesperson Ira Cronin stated in an email.

Ceasar Wilson’s next court appearance is April 9.