In the early morning hours of October 30, 2022, a tragic event unfolded in a quiet Aurora, Colorado neighborhood, culminating in the death of 49-year-old Rudolfo Salgado Perez and three other individuals. The incident stemmed from a domestic dispute involving Joseph Castorena and his ex-girlfriend. A week prior to the fatal event, the ex-girlfriend and her father had obtained a restraining order against Castorena, citing his controlling and threatening behavior.
On the night of the
incident, Castorena broke into his ex-girlfriend's family home on Geneva Street and lay in wait. When the family returned from a party after 2 a.m., Castorena began shooting. The ex-girlfriend, upon discovering his presence, managed to call the police, and the dispatcher heard gunshots during the call. When police arrived, they found four deceased adults: Rudolfo Salgado Perez, who was a tenant living in an RV on the property, 51-year-old Jesus Serrano, 22-year-old Maria Anita Serrano, and 20-year-old Kenneth Eugene Green Luque. Castorena's ex-girlfriend and two young children who were also in the home were physically unharmed.
Following the quadruple homicide, a manhunt for Joseph Castorena was initiated. His brother and cousin were arrested in the weeks following the shooting and accused of aiding him in evading capture. With the assistance of the FBI and Mexican authorities, Castorena was apprehended in Aguascalientes, Mexico, on December 10, 2022. He was then extradited back to Colorado to face charges. In May 2024, an Arapahoe County jury convicted Castorena on four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. Subsequently, he was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences in prison.
