Both men arrested in connection to the shooting death of a man at a light rail stop last February have pleaded guilty.
Ever Valles and Nathan Valdez, both 20, were charged in the death of Tim Cruz, 32. He was killed at an RTD Light Rail Station at 12th and Sheridan during the early morning hours of Feb. 7, 2017.
Valles pleaded guilty last November to one of the original counts of aggravated robbery and an added count of accessory to murder. He faces a stipulated prison sentence of 16-32 years.
Family members of Tim Cruz, 32, say they believe the system “let them down.” Cruz was a “unique, big-hearted” man, according to a statement provided to 9Wants to Know.
Valdez pleaded guilty last Friday to second-degree murder and second-degree kidnapping, and to one of the original counts of aggravated robbery with a gun. Valdez faces a stipulated prison sentence of 58 years.
Valles' case gained national notoriety because Valles, a Mexican national, was able to walk out of the Denver jail at a time when immigrations officials wanted him.
Valles and Valdez are scheduled to be sentenced on March 9, 2018, at 1:30 p.m. in courtroom 5C.
Cruz's family told 9NEWS as the time of his death that he was a “unique, big-hearted” man.
Scott Von Lanken, a transit security officer for RTD, was shot and killed as he was helping travelers with directions on Jan. 31, 2017, a week before Cruz's killing.
Von Lanken's killer, Joshua Cummings, was convicted of first-degree murder on Jan. 25. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
