PUEBLO, Colo. (KOAA) — A man was found guilty of first-degree murder Friday after investigators say he rammed a truck into a man and killed him on Christmas Day last year.
Joseph Rodriguez will be sentenced next week after a jury found him guilty of killing Justin Sapeda last year. Sapeda was 36 years old.
Investigators say Rodriguez struck Sapeda with his Ford F-150 truck multiple times on Himes Avenue, near Lake Minnequa on the city's southwest side.
The 10th Judicial District Attorney's office says the trial lasted two weeks and the jury deliberated for four hours before finding Rodriguez guilty on all counts.
The District Attorney's office says prosecutors from the Attorney General's office prosecuted the case on behalf of its office.
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The Unproven Claim at the Center of a 'Zero Tolerance' Crackdown
A "Zero Tolerance" crackdown in Teller County is being partially justified by the Sheriff's claim that immigrants are responsible for a crime spike. However, the Sheriff's Office has not provided direct evidence, and both the Forest Service and ICE have declined to comment on the specifics.
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