A late-night visit to a Wheat Ridge cemetery ended in a fatal shooting and, now, a 16-year prison sentence. On Friday, a judge ordered Ryan Trujillo-Falcon to serve more than a decade behind bars for a confrontation that turned deadly during what friends say was supposed to be a quiet memorial.
Sentence and plea
Trujillo-Falcon, 24, pleaded guilty on Nov. 14, 2025, to second-degree assault and manslaughter. Judge Andrew Poland sentenced him to 16 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections on the assault charge, to run at the same time as a six-year sentence for manslaughter. Prosecutors had pushed for the longest sentence available, while the defense argued for a middle-range term, according to Denver7.
How the fight turned deadly
The violence broke out just after 11 p.m. on Aug. 17, 2024, inside Crown Hill Cemetery, where a group had gathered to visit a friend's grave, deputies said. Law enforcement set up a perimeter around the area, detained people at the scene, and arrested Trujillo-Falcon. A 20-year-old man, later identified as Geano Eugene Chavez, was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead, while a woman hurt in the struggle was treated and released, according to KKTV.
Affidavit details
An arrest affidavit described in local coverage states the conflict began when Chavez told Trujillo-Falcon he felt sick and might vomit on a grave. The argument escalated, the document says, when Trujillo-Falcon struck a woman with the butt of his handgun, then fired a single round that hit Chavez. The affidavit also says Trujillo-Falcon hid the weapon in a tree and later admitted he had been carrying a gun since a friend buried at that same site was killed two years earlier, according to Law & Crime.
Family reaction and courtroom
Relatives of Chavez told the court the group went to Crown Hill to mourn, not to end up in the middle of a shooting. They said the gathering was intended to be a memorial. "What should have been a moment of remembrance became an irreversible tragedy," one of Chavez's aunts said, according to Denver7. Judge Poland said he had weighed the case carefully and concluded Trujillo-Falcon's actions showed a "complete disregard" for human life as he announced the sentence.
Legal outcome
Under the plea agreement, more serious charges, including first-degree murder, tampering with evidence, and carrying a concealed weapon, were dismissed. Trujillo-Falcon will serve his time in the state prison system, and the judge ordered the assault and manslaughter sentences to run concurrently, according to 9News.
