Five homicides in Pueblo this year remain unsolved
It’s an unsettling fact that Pueblo police officers say they need help changing — of the eight homicides this year, five remain unsolved.
“Certainly our ratio of solved cases to unsolved is usually higher than what it is currently,” said Capt. Jeff Bodmer, who oversees the police department’s investigations bureau.
The five most recent homicides happened within seven weeks of each other. Bodmer said given the close proximity of the shootings, it takes time for the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to process evidence.
“Some of those cases, when we’re able to get our evidence back from CBI and things like that, will probably help us solve some of those cases,” Bodmer said.
But police say a lack of information from the community makes the homicides more difficult to solve.
“We’re working as hard as we can to solve these, but we need help from the people who know what happened to contact us,” Bodmer said.
The death of Isaiah Vialpando, 20, is the most recent unsolved case this year. Vialpando was shot and killed Sept. 2 while driving through downtown Pueblo. Police are looking for a suspect vehicle described as a newer model, red, two-door car with a sun roof and dark, tinted windows. Police say the vehicle also has low profile tries on spoked aftermarket rims.
Police also need help tracking down the person who stabbed 33-year-old Sean Montoya to death. Police found Montoya in the 1600 block of East 13 Street. He died at the hospital from his injuries. The week before — another unsolved murder. Firefighters found Susan Hernandez, 77, dead inside her home in the 600 block of Moffat Street.
“I’m confident we’re gaining ground on that case, but as far as details I can’t release any of that at the moment,” Bodmer said regarding Hernandez’s death investigation.
In May, officers found Kenneth Vensor, 40, had been shot inside his home in the 900 block of Lake Avenue. That case remains open. So does the investigation surrounding the death of Carlos Perea, 28. Police say Perea was shot while riding in a vehicle in the 100 block of East Abriendo. The suspects are described as two Hispanic men in a dark colored Ford Mustang. Police believe Perea’s death is gang related.
“We don’t want five unsolved homicides,” Bodmer said. “I’d prefer to have a year where we have zero homicides that even occur. They do occur and then it’s our job to solve those.”
If you have information on any of these incidents, call Pueblo Crime Stoppers at 719-542-STOP (7867). Callers can remain anonymous.
