GREELEY, Colo. — A Greeley man who was on parole when he shot and killed a man at an Evans motel was convicted of first-degree murder this week and sentenced to life in prison.
A jury on Wednesday convicted Joseph Gonzales, 31, of murdering Abdul Nigel Jefferies on Sept. 18, 2020, at the Rodeway Inn motel, located at 3015 8th Ave. in Evans. Jefferies had been shot several times, including twice in the head, according to a news release from the Weld County District Attorney's Office.
"The victim did not deserve this," Chief Deputy District Attorney Michael Pirraglia told the judge, according to the release. "This was an execution and a horrific way to die."
On Friday, a Weld County judge sentenced Gonzales to life in prison.
Gonzales was on parole at the time of the shooting after he pleaded guilty in 2012 to attempted second-degree murder for another shooting. He was sentenced to 13 years in prison, was released after serving about eight years and killed Jefferies less than six months later, the District Attorney's Office said.
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