FORT LUPTON, Colo. — A northern Colorado family is mourning the loss of a woman who was killed in an alleged domestic violence incident earlier this month.
Loved ones say Valarie Garcia, 36, was murdered at the hands of her boyfriend, Jesse Gladney. The two dated for about two years.
According to an arrest affidavit, the Westminster Police Department was dispatched to the Super 8 Hotel on Melody Drive on June 8 for a potential domestic violence call. The 911 caller reported that a man and woman were arguing when the man told the woman to get into the car and grabbed her by the neck.
The affidavit states Gladney asked a friend for a ride and forced Garcia into the Chevy Equinox. The three then drove away from the hotel. A Be On the Lookout (BOLO) was issued for the vehicle.
Not too long after, the Thornton Police Department received a call that a man had shot a woman in a car near 120th and Colorado Boulevard, according to the affidavit. The document states Gladney got out of the vehicle after the shooting and asked surrounding drivers for help.
"He was stopping at every stoplight, hopping in and out of the car frantically, like aggressively screaming for help and slapping her and screaming for Valarie to wake up and not to fall asleep. It's crazy," said Valarie's sister, Alexis Garcia.
The incident ultimately ended at Platte Valley Hospital in Brighton, where Garcia was pronounced dead and Gladney was arrested for first-degree murder. Once at the hospital, Gladney's behavior became erratic and he had to be sedated, according to his arrest affidavit.
Alexis said she never suspected that her sister was being abused.
"You never expect your little sister to be going through this," she said, "He was on everything, in all her social media. Like she shined him like a light. She loved him so much."
According to the Colorado Attorney General’s Office, the number of domestic violence fatalities in Colorado set an all-time high in 2022. That year, 94 people died in Colorado from domestic violence related crimes. Among these, 39 were killed by their current or former intimate partner, and 22 were collateral victims, including six children and two police officers. The two police officers were killed while responding to domestic violence incidents.
That number in 2022 was up from 62 domestic violence related deaths in 2021 and was nearly 1.5 times higher than the average number of fatalities in Colorado the previous seven years, the attorney general's office reported.
According to the analysis, 97% of the domestic violence victims were female and 95% of the perpetrators were male, according to the Colorado Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board. About 86% of the domestic violence fatalities involved guns.
Garcia said she is hoping her sister's story can help save lives.
"Now there's five kids being raised without a mom due to domestic abuse, and it's unfortunate. You know, it happens in households and people aren't aware of it," the sister said.
Valarie was laid to rest on Thursday. Gladney's next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 30.
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.
