In the early hours of a cold January morning in Colorado Springs, the lives of two families were forever shattered by an act of sudden violence. On January 9, 2022, 15-year-old Nevean Tafoya, a male resident of Pueblo, was fatally shot in what authorities believe was an attempted robbery. The incident unfolded at the Summit Creek Apartments located in the 1900 block of South Chelton Road.
Tafoya was not the only victim that night; 13-year-old Marcus Venezio-Hernandez was also killed in the shooting.
The Colorado Springs Police Department responded to multiple calls of shots fired at approximately 1:19 a.m. Upon arrival, officers discovered a grim scene with multiple individuals suffering from gunshot wounds. Tragically, Nevean Tafoya and Marcus Venezio-Hernandez were pronounced dead at the scene. In addition to the two fatalities, one adult and three other juveniles were transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The vehicle the victims were traveling in with their father had been riddled with 16 bullet holes, a stark testament to the ferocity of the attack.
The investigation into the double homicide led authorities to two suspects. Kadin Dyer Blaschke, who was 19 at the time, was apprehended by the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force at a Motel 6 in Reno, Nevada. A second suspect, a 17-year-old male who has not been publicly identified due to his age, was also taken into custody in Colorado Springs. Both were charged with two counts of second-degree murder.
In a development that brought anguish to the victims' families, Kadin Blaschke pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder charges. As part of a plea agreement, he was sentenced to serve seven years in Colorado's 'Youthful Offender System.' This sentencing was met with outrage from the families of Nevean Tafoya and Marcus Venezio-Hernandez, who felt the punishment did not fit the gravity of the crime. The plea deal stipulated that if Blaschke fails to meet the conditions of his sentence in the youth facility, he would then face 32 years in the Department of Corrections.
