Pueblo family searching for answers amid sharp rise in homicides in 2021

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- On November 25th, 2021, Leticia Sandoval's life changed. Her brother, 58-year-old Russell Sandoval, was killed inside his home in the early hours of Thanksgiving morning. Three months later and there still hasn't been an arrest.

"I want justice for my brother. I would like to see that person or people arrested and I would like for it to happen soon," Sandoval said. "I would like to see it happen before my parents pass away."

Leticia says her brother was tied up inside his home and shot multiple times. He was taken to a local hospital, where he later passed away.

"We're all going through the same nightmare and none of us can wake up." Sandoval said. "To be taken from us in the manner that he was taken from us, it's a nightmare."

She has called Pueblo police once a week since her brother was killed, attempting to seek answers from police on who killed her loved one.

"There's just some days it feels like it is taking so long that I have felt, and I have expressed this to the detective, that it's just another murder on the east side of Pueblo so we are not going to move as quickly on it," Sandoval said.

Sgt. Franklyn Ortega said their detectives are constantly working on each homicide case including Russell Sandoval's. However, he says it takes time to build a case against a suspect they may have identified.

"A lot of times we have information on suspects, but the level that we need to get to is probable cause to make an arrest, Ortega said. "Once we get to that level of probable cause, we can either arrest the person or send a warrant to the District Attorney's Office."

Ortega told KRDO that giving family members certain information can hurt their investigation.

"We have an obligation to bring that person to justice and part of that is kind of keeping the evidence that we have intact and separate to where it's just the evidence," Ortega said.

In 2021, there was a 107% increase in homicides in Pueblo. According to the Pueblo Police Department, there have only been 16 arrests in connection to those homicides.

Police say they are currently building cases on five more suspects who have been identified as being involved in specific murders. Three suspects are deceased, and one will not be arrested because of their mental health capacity.

Compared to 2020, Pueblo police investigated 14 homicides.

Back in October, KRDO spoke with Pueblo Police Chief Chris Noeller about the rise in the number of homicides in Pueblo.

"Homicide is one of the hardest crimes to prevent because it is usually an emotionally based assault or decision that is made based on a relationship that the two people have," Noeller said. "However, people are being released repeated on bond after they have committed violent crimes, or not punishing people after they violate their parole, those kinds of things are putting them in a position where they can commit more violent crime."

Police say there is only one homicide investigation in 2021 that they have no leads on, the October murder of Rudy Baca.

The impact of losing a loved one to murder stays with those who were closest to the victims.

"The pain in my parent's eyes is what's really difficult to see. The pain that my nephews are going through and the hard time that they are having with losing their dad, it's really hard to see," Sandoval said.