Valarie Garcia, a 36-year-old mother of five, was tragically killed on June 8, 2024, in what authorities have described as an act of domestic violence. The events that led to her death began at a Super 8 hotel on Melody Drive, where her boyfriend, Jesse Gladney, was seen forcing her into a Chevy Equinox after an argument. A witness reported the incident to the police, noting that another person was in the front seat of the vehicle.
A short time later, a second witness contacted
authorities to report that a man had shot a woman in a car matching the description of the Equinox near 120th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard in Thornton. The driver of the vehicle later told police that Garcia and Gladney had been arguing when he threatened her, saying, 'Shut up or I'll shoot you.' Moments later, the driver heard and smelled a gunshot. Gladney then admitted to shooting Garcia and was seen at stoplights frantically trying to keep her awake and asking for help.
Gladney drove Garcia to Platte Valley Medical Center in Brighton, where he was heard yelling at hospital staff not to let her die. His behavior at the hospital was described as erratic; he punched the windshield of a nearby car and later had to be sedated by staff to treat an injury to his hand. Valarie Garcia succumbed to her gunshot wound and died at the hospital.
Jesse Gladney was arrested at the hospital and is facing a first-degree murder charge. He is being held at the Adams County Detention Facility on a $2 million cash-only bail. Investigators found a Kahr Arms PM40 pistol in the Equinox. Gladney has an extensive criminal history spanning nearly two decades, with multiple convictions for domestic violence, stalking, and other violent offenses. Garcia's family had expressed their concerns about Gladney and had forbidden him from their home. They stated that Valarie had wanted to leave him but was afraid, and that he was very controlling. Just a week before her death, Garcia had helped bail Gladney out of jail after an arrest for felony menacing and weapons possession.
