Pueblo police make arrest in Lakeshore Drive murder case
PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- The Pueblo Police Department (PPD) says it has made an arrest in the homicide case of a 31-year-old man.
Police say they have charged 25-year-old Santana Montoya with first-degree murder in the death of Santana Lucero.
Police say the case began when they were called out to the 2500 block of Lakeshore Drive around 1 a.m. on Nov. 9. There, they found Lucero's body.
About a month later, on Dec. 4, officers say they obtained an arrest warrant for the suspect. He was booked on a $1 million cash-only bond, police say.
Details on the case are limited, but police say they expect there to be additional arrests in the case.
"The Pueblo Police Department would also like to remind anyone who may be involved about the law of complicity: A person is legally accountable as principle for the behavior of another constituting a criminal offense if, with the intent to promote or facilitate the commission of the offense, he or she aids, abets, advises, or encourages the other person in planning or committing the offense," read a post by the police department. "For example, you can be convicted of 1st Degree Murder, even though you did not pull the trigger, if you are found to be in violation of this law."
Anyone with additional information on this case is urged to call or text Detective Hector Herrera at 719-601-7023. Â You can also contact Pueblo Crimestoppers at 719-542-STOP if you wish to remain anonymous, police said.
"I want to mourn. I want to cry... I have to bury my son. I have to look at him in a casket. I can't even grasp myself. Like if he died of an overdose, I'd be okay with it. If he was shot up with heroin and died, you know? But they folded him up in a basket, carried him down the street, and threw him away, and nobody wants to say anything," said Santana Lucero's Mother, Kimberly Bell, back in November.
The family admits that Lucero struggled with addiction and had a few run-ins with the law, but was working to beat addiction—he did not deserve this outcome.
"He stole stuff to get his drugs, but he never hurt anybody or shot anybody or did any kind of dirty stuff like that," says Bell.
Now, all Lucero's family is left with are pictures and memories.
"He always had something funny to say. He always had a way to bring us to laughter. Even in his darkest times, he was worried about me, you know?" said Bell.
Previous reporting by KRDO13's Michael Logerwell contributed to this report.
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