In the early morning hours of November 5, 2018, the quiet streets of Golden, Colorado, were disturbed by the discovery of a small brush fire. Firefighters responding to the scene near Nile Street and West 7th Avenue made a grim finding: the body of 28-year-old Cymone Duran. It was soon determined that the young woman, a married mother of two, had been shot multiple times before her body was set ablaze.
Her family remembered her as an 'outgoing, loving, beautiful, and sassy' individual.
The investigation into the death of the female victim quickly led to the identification of three suspects. Abel Gallegos, then 35, Alonso Quintana, 27, and Rene Rosales, 35, were arrested in the days following the discovery of Duran's body. The motive for this brutal act was revealed to be retaliation. Duran had previously identified Quintana in a police line-up related to another shooting. Prosecutors stated that because she was labeled a 'snitch,' she was lured to a residence, kidnapped, and ultimately killed. Duran was shot ten times as she pleaded for her life.
The legal proceedings that followed brought the horrific details of Duran's final moments to light. After the initial shooting, Gallegos and Rosales returned to the scene to pour gasoline on her body and set it on fire. In January 2020, a jury convicted all three men on multiple charges. Abel Gallegos and Alonso Quintana were found guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and kidnapping, among other charges. Rene Rosales was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder, tampering with a deceased body, and being an accessory to a crime. The convictions resulted in lengthy prison sentences for all involved, with Gallegos and Quintana receiving life sentences without the possibility of parole. Rosales also received a significant prison sentence for his role in the crime.
