Two men have been sentenced to prison for separate shooting deaths in Adams County, according to the district attorney’s office.
Castorena sentenced for 2018 Westminster murder
Juan Castorena, 37, was sentenced on Tuesday following a first-degree murder conviction for the death of 23-year-old Ricardo Rivas, according to a news release.
On Jan. 30, 2018, Westminster police responded to shots fired at the Village of Greenbriar Apartments, 8290 Federal Blvd., and found Rivas dead in a parking lot. He had been shot once in the head.
Following a two-year investigation, Castorena was identified as a suspect in the case. The two men were involved in an ongoing dispute, according to the release, and Castorena, along with an unidentified man, lured Rivas out of his apartment where they beat him. As the pair were leaving the scene, Castorena shot Rivas with a handgun.
An eyewitness identified Castorena as the killer and the defendant’s DNA was found on the victim’s face, prosecutors said.
On July 19, a jury found Castorena guilty of first-degree murder. On Tuesday he was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Pinuelas will spend up to 40 years in prison
Guillermo Pinuelas, 23, was sentenced on Monday to 40 years in prison following his guilty plea to second-degree murder for the death of 24-year-old Kaid Dunlap, according to the DA’s office.
On April 27, 2021, Pinuelas went to Dunlap’s home to collect a debt, prosecutors said. Dunlap didn’t have money at the time. Pinuelas returned the next night and Dunlap still didn’t have cash. Pinuelas, on the balcony of the victim’s apartment, shot him 13 times.
Dunlap’s brother, sister-in-law, and their child were in the home at the time of the shooting, where bullets ripped through doors and walls. Dunlap’s brother held the victim in his arms as he bled to death. Pinuelas was arrested the following day after disposing of the murder weapon and attempting to bleach his car and wash his clothes, the release said.
On June 7, Pinuelas pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in Adams County District Court. He was sentenced on Monday.
