District Attorney seeking death penalty for men accused of killing two El Paso County teens
On Monday, the 4th Judicial District Attorney’s office confirmed that the paperwork has been submitted to seek the death penalty in the murder case of two El Paso County teenagers.
Marco Garcia-Bravo and Diego Chacon are both facing first-degree murder charges for their suspected roles in the deaths of 16-year-old Natalie Partida and 15-year-old Derek Greer.
Investigators say Garcia-Bravo and Chacon were part of an elaborate kidnapping plot that ended with the men placing Partida and Greer into the “execution position,” and shooting them at close range.
Chacon is accused of shooting Partida, and Garcia-Bravo is accused of shooting Greer.
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Several other suspects have already confessed their involvement in the kidnapping and deaths of the teens, and many have accepted plea deals in exchange for their testimony against the suspected trigger-men.
With the crime taking place back in March of 207, there has been a lot of speculation about whether or not the district attorney’s office would pursue the death penalty. Many people say it makes sense with the heinous nature of the crime.
But historically, the state of Colorado does not tend to use the death penalty often.
Since the death penalty was reinstated by popular vote in Colorado in 1974, only one person has been executed by the state.
Gary Lee Davis was convicted of murder and rape in the late 1980’s and was executed in 1997.
Since that case, Colorado juries tend to sentence life in prison, instead of the death penalty.
El Paso County Courts saw that same trend play out just last week when a jury convicted Glen Galloway of murder but sentenced him to life in prison instead of death.
Legal expert Jeremy Loew says death penalty cases also take a lot of extra resources when it comes to the district attorney’s office, and as a result, can cost thousands of dollars more to pursue the death penalty.
Loew also says this case is unique because a lot of the prosecution’s case is built on the testimony of other suspects.
Gustavo Marquez and Alexandra Romero were two people also facing first-degree murder charges in the case, but each pleaded guilty to lesser charges.
Marquez pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, and Romero pleaded guilty to kidnapping.
“One of the things that we’re dealing with here is criminals that have taken guilty pleas to avoid prosecution for what would have been potentially a death penalty case in their own right,” said Loew.
Loew says the defense attorney’s of Garcia-Bravo and Marquez will likely try to pick apart those witnesses by saying they were trying to protect themselves.
Garcia-Bravo and Chacon are currently scheduled for a jury trial to begin in early October. However, with the death penalty now on the table, the trial date could possibly be pushed back so both sides can prepare.
