A Greeley man who pulled a gun at a birthday party and killed another guest will spend nearly three decades in state prison after admitting to the crime in court.
Ricardo Velado-Contreras was sentenced Tuesday to 28 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to the 2024 killing of Julian Lozano-Pinon at a Greeley home, according to CBS News Colorado.
Prosecutors with the Weld County District Attorney's Office said the shooting happened on Jan. 4, 2024, at a home in the 2400 block of 11th Avenue. Velado-Contreras confronted Lozano-Pinon about alleged inappropriate contact with his younger brother, and the argument quickly escalated. Velado-Contreras shot Lozano-Pinon once in the chest. Police rushed the victim to North Colorado Medical Center, where he died.
Investigators told CBS that alcohol and cocaine were being used at the party and that Velado-Contreras had been showing his handgun to other guests before the confrontation turned deadly.
Legal notes
Under Colorado law, second-degree murder is a serious homicide offense that is typically charged as a class 2 felony. Certain “heat of passion” situations can change how the crime is classified and how much prison time a defendant faces. For the state statutes that govern homicide and sentencing, see the Colorado Revised Statutes on sentencing at Justia and the second-degree murder statute, C.R.S. 18-3-103, on FindLaw.
Case resolution
Velado-Contreras pleaded guilty last week and accepted the 28-year term, according to CBS News Colorado, bringing the criminal case that began with the January 2024 shooting to a close. He will serve his time in the Colorado Department of Corrections.
