In the late summer of 2019, the life of 39-year-old Gene David Cisneros was tragically cut short. On the morning of Sunday, September 1, 2019, officers from the Erie Police Department were called to an area near the Interstate 25 frontage road and Erie Parkway. There, they made a grim discovery: a man, later identified as Cisneros, was found deceased on the side of the road, his body covered with bags.
It was immediately apparent to investigators that this was a homicide.
As the Erie Police began their investigation, they quickly determined that the location where Cisneros's body was found was not the place where he had been killed. Their preliminary findings pointed to the crime having occurred elsewhere, leading them to delve deeper into Cisneros's final hours. The investigation soon led them to the 5200 block of Steele Street in Denver. Evidence suggested that Cisneros had been fatally shot at this location before his body was transported to Erie. Given that the homicide took place within Denver's city limits, the investigation was turned over to the Denver Police Department.
Denver police took the lead in the case, continuing to interview witnesses and follow up on leads to piece together the events that led to Gene Cisneros's death. Their efforts led them to identify a suspect in the case. Orlando Lujan, who was 49 at the time, was located and arrested in Texas in connection with the murder. Lujan was charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of Gene David Cisneros. The details surrounding the motive and the connection between Cisneros and Lujan were not immediately released, as the arrest affidavit was sealed.
