GREELEY, Colo. — What should have been a peaceful Sunday morning turned tragic for Greeley father Joaquin Mininger. Greeley police say Mininger's 24-year-old daughter, Sierra Nicole Mininger, was shot and killed in her home around 6 a.m. Sunday.
Police arrested Gabriel Esparza, 23, who was identified as the suspect. Esparza was Mininger's ex-boyfriend and the two had only recently broken up. According to a police affidavit, Esparza told conflicting stories, first telling officers that he was woken up by a "loud pop" and found that Sierra had been shot.
Esparza later told officers that he liked to play Russian Roulette and "gets high off not knowing whether a bullet is in the chamber." Esparza told officers he pointed the gun at Mininger and pulled the trigger, not knowing that a bullet was loaded.
Esparza was booked into the Weld County Jail on charges of first-degree murder, possession of a weapon by a previous offender, and domestic violence. He has two previous arrests in Weld County and pleaded guilty in 2021 to illegal discharge of a firearm, for a case in October 2020.
"It's like a bad dream," said Joaquin.
Mininger's father had lived with her for the past two years and was home at the time of the shooting. Joaquin said Esparza woke him up after the shooting and when he ran upstairs he saw Mininger bleeding on her bed.
"I needed to hold her wound until the paramedics got there," said Joaquin. "I reassured her that I loved her and that I'm here for her, and if she could hang on, to please hang on. It’s the worst thing anybody could go through.”
Mininger, a JROTC Marine Copr graduation, left behind her father and two siblings. She also had three dogs, a cat and two birds, which Joaquin said he plans to take care of.
"She really wanted a family," said Joaquin. "That's why she had so many pets, that was her starter kit for a family.”
Joaquin said Mininger was protective of her family and had even helped one of her friends escape an abusive relationship recently. The father hopes her death will help raise awareness for issues of domestic violence in Colorado.
After investigators finished gathering evidence at the scene, Mininger's family cleaned up her room. Joaquin said he now sleeps in her old bedroom, to feel closer to his daughter.
"Some people say it's crazy, but she was my blood. She was sunshine. She'd walk in the room and it brightened up, everybody could feel her love and compassion," recalled Joaquin.
Mininger's funeral ceremony is supposed to take place next week.
Court records show that Esparza’s bond was set at $5 million on Monday.
If you'd like to help out the family with funeral expenses, click here. As of Thursday morning, more than $8,000 had been donated.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available through Violence Free Colorado or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233.