In the summer of 2021, a young man's disappearance would unravel a grim tale of violence that stretched across county lines. Raymond Terry Ray Jr., a 24-year-old White / Caucasian male from Pueblo, Colorado, was reported missing on July 28, 2021. For weeks, his whereabouts remained a mystery, leaving his family in agonizing uncertainty. The search for Raymond came to a devastating end on August 17, 2021, when his body was discovered by an individual in a remote area of eastern Pueblo County,
near 62nd Lane. The Pueblo County Coroner's office would later confirm that his death was a homicide.
The investigation into Raymond’s death, led by Pueblo County Sheriff's detectives, was a meticulous and extensive effort. Their work eventually pointed them toward a single suspect: 33-year-old Nicholas Tumblin, also from Pueblo. As detectives delved deeper, they were able to connect Tumblin to Raymond's murder. This connection was solidified when Tumblin, already in custody for another crime, confessed to the killing.
Tumblin's arrest for Raymond's murder came while he was already incarcerated at the Pueblo County Jail in June 2022. He had been initially apprehended by U.S. Marshals in New Mexico on October 1, 2021, in connection with the shooting death of another individual, Eric Trujillo, which had occurred on September 27, 2021. Faced with the evidence against him in Raymond's case, Tumblin ultimately pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping on April 11, 2024. For these crimes against Raymond, he was sentenced to a total of 60 years in prison—44 years for the murder and an additional 16 years for the kidnapping. This sentence was to be served consecutively with a 10-year sentence for a contraband charge he received while in jail.
