WHEAT RIDGE, Colo. – Five people have been charged in the April shooting death of a 17-year-old boy in Wheat Ridge.
Sincere Mario Trujillo, 18; Esteban Ryan Lucero, 19; and 17-year-old Julian Santos Campos – who was arrested in mid-April and was charged as an adult in the death of Nimijah Pimentel – were each charged with 14 counts, including first-degree murder, according to a news release from the 1st Judicial District Attorney's Office.
A juvenile male and a juvenile female, who were arrested in early September along with Trujillo and Lucero, were also charged with multiple counts, including first-degree murder. The juveniles still face the possibility of being charged as adults, a spokeswoman for the DA’s office said. Pimentel was found shot to death by officers with the Wheat Ridge Police Department at Panorama Park on April 13. Campos was arrested four days later in connection with the teen’s death.
It wasn’t until Sept. 9 when Wheat Ridge police led an operation that ended with the arrests of the four other suspects.
Detectives said police were initially led to believe that the confrontation that ended in Pimentel’s death on April 13 was the result of a meeting to sell a pair of designer pants, but after a lengthy investigation, detectives determined that the meeting was instead arranged for the purposes of what they called “an unlawful transaction."
No other details about the case were immediately released.
Campos is due back in court on Oct. 20. A preliminary hearing for Trujillo and Lucero is set for Oct. 9 and Nov. 10, respectively.
All five suspects are being held without bond.