No murder verdict in Garcia-Bravo case
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- UPDATE: Marco Garcia-Bravo has been found not guilty of many of the major felony charges against him, and the jury did not return a verdict in either count of murder or kidnapping.
He was also found not guilty of either count of conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree and not guilty to aggravated robbery.
Garcia-Bravo was found guilty of accessory to crime.
After the verdicts were read, prosecutors asked for a retrial on the counts that jurors were unable to reach a verdict on.
Earlier
The trial against Garcia-Bravo, one of the men accused in the killings of two teenagers south of Colorado Springs in 2017, hit a snag Monday morning after jurors had spent more than a week deliberating.
Judge David Shakes asked jurors about the deliberation after he received a note that the jury was deadlocked on at least one count, and "extreme frustration" was setting in.
Garcia-Bravo was charged with first-degree murder in the alleged gang killings of Natalie Partida, 16, and Derek Greer, 15, along Old Pueblo Road in March 2017.
Judge Shakes asked if jurors could make more progress with more time. However, a foreperson said that one juror felt like they were "being attacked" and wasn't confident that jurors could make a decision with further time.
The foreperson did say that jurors could agree on some of the charges. Multiple jurors agreed with that assessment and said they were at a stalemate, but at least three jurors thought more time would help.
Judge Shakes asked opinions from prosecutors and the defense; prosecutors asked for more time for the jury to deliberate, and Garcia-Bravo's defense objected.
The defense noted that one juror said in a note that they "felt held hostage" and "asked the court to please end this." Next, the defense attorney pointed to the 10-day deliberation and said there was an increase "coercive risk" of at least one juror's decision being tainted.
Prosecutors pointed to the three jurors who said they might be able to make progress with more time and argued that there was the possibility of reaching a verdict. Judge Shakes then called for a break.
After the break, Judge Shakes asked the juror who wrote the letter if they were comfortable with the other unanimous verdicts despite not coming to a conclusion on one count. The juror said yes.
We're closely monitoring the trial of Marco Garcia-Bravo, who is accused of executing two El Paso County teens in 2017.
— Chelsea Brentzel KRDO (@ChelseaBrentzel) February 8, 2021
The jury appears to be deadlocked in at least one of the charges against him. Jurors report they have reached a unanimous verdict in some charges. @KRDONC13
Garcia-Bravo is the last of ten people to be prosecuted in the case.
Gustavo Marquez, who pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder for his role, told investigators he helped lure the teens into the situation. He added that he, Garcia-Bravo, and Diego Chacon, the other shooter who has since plead guilty, all drove out to where the two teens were shot "execution-style." Marquez claims he stood by as Chacon shot Partida and Garcia-Bravo shot Greer.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
