On the evening of May 8, 2019, 18-year-old Lloyd Chavez IV was shot outside his home on East Powers Lane in Centennial, Colorado. A student at Cherokee Trail High School, Chavez was involved in the sale of vaping products, a venture that ultimately led to his untimely death. The incident unfolded around 9:30 p.m. when a group of teenagers arranged to meet him under the pretense of purchasing vape juice pods.
The transaction, however, was a setup for a robbery over approximately $25 worth of these products.
The plan to rob Chavez was orchestrated by his schoolmates. An altercation broke out on the lawn in front of his house, during which he was shot in the chest. His younger sister and grandmother were present at the home and were the first to come to his aid after the shooting. Before being rushed into surgery, Chavez was able to identify one of his assailants as 'Kenny,' a junior at his high school. Despite the efforts of medical staff, he passed away during the operation. His death occurred just days before he was set to graduate.
The investigation led to the arrest of four teenagers: Kenneth Gallegos, Demarea Mitchell, Juliana 'Julie' Serrano, and Dominic Stager. All four were students and were charged as adults with first-degree murder and aggravated robbery. Serrano, a 17-year-old cheerleader at the time, admitted to investigators that the initial plan was to steal the vaping products and that she had set up the meeting. She identified Demarea Mitchell as the one who fired the gun.
Kenneth Gallegos, the individual Chavez identified before his death, was convicted of felony murder, attempted aggravated robbery, conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery, and attempted theft. Because he was a juvenile when the crime occurred, he was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years. Demarea Mitchell was also found guilty of felony murder and aggravated robbery and received an identical sentence of life in prison with eligibility for parole after 40 years. The legal proceedings for Serrano and Stager also included charges of first-degree murder and robbery.
