In the late morning hours of a Sunday in Pueblo, Colorado, a call came into the police dispatch reporting a possible carjacking underway on East B. Street. Moments later, a second call from the same location escalated the situation with the report of shots fired. When officers arrived at the scene on September 20, 2020, they found a man inside a car, suffering from a gunshot wound. The man was thirty-five-year-old Steven Sandoval.
Rushed to a local hospital, he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead. The initial report of a carjacking would prove to be misleading as the investigation uncovered a more personal and tragic series of events.
The incident that led to Steven Sandoval's death was not a random act of violence, but rather the culmination of a domestic dispute. Investigators learned that an argument had taken place between Sandoval and a woman he knew, Gina Vinson-DeHerrea. In the heat of the conflict, Vinson-DeHerrea, who was also known as Gina De Herrera, allegedly shot Sandoval while he was in his vehicle. Immediately following the shooting, she fled the scene in a blue Mustang, sparking a manhunt. Law enforcement was able to locate the abandoned vehicle a short time later, but the suspect remained at large.
The search for Gina Vinson-DeHerrea continued until a tip led investigators to a residence in the Belmont neighborhood of Pueblo, on Alexander Circle. There, police found her hiding in a bedroom and she was taken into custody. Vinson-DeHerrea was initially arrested on a charge of second-degree murder, though authorities indicated that additional charges could be forthcoming as the investigation progressed. The case then moved to the legal system to determine the final outcome.
In December 2021, Gina Vinson-DeHerrea stood trial for the murder of Steven Sandoval. After hearing the evidence presented, a jury found her guilty of first-degree murder. Despite her family's claims that the shooting was an act of self-defense, the jury's verdict was decisive. Consequently, Gina Vinson-DeHerrea was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for her role in the death of Steven Sandoval.
