LEADVILLE, Colo. — A Leadville man accused of killing his boss during an after-work gathering claims he has no memory of the incident, according to an affidavit.
The affidavit says on Sept. 2, 27-year-old Eric Gurule and some coworkers got together at the home of their boss at Pro Electric, 55-year-old Randy Flores, for beers. Another man also joined them. Such gatherings were common for them, according to the affidavit.
The affidavit says they were all drinking beer and having fun when Gurule "flipped a switch" and got into an argument with one of the other men. That man then left, according to the affidavit.
The next morning, Lake County Sheriff's Office deputies were called to Flores' home and found him dead on the floor, according to the affidavit. There were signs of a struggle, the affidavit says, including cabinet doors ripped off their hinges and blood smeared on the ground.
A Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) agent contacted Gurule, who had not come into work that day, at his home and asked him to consent to an interview at Leadville Police headquarters, which he did. The affidavit says Gurule claimed he was very drunk and that he had gotten into an argument with one of the other men.
Gurule said he blacked out and that the next thing he remembered was waking up in his bed at home the next morning, according to the affidavit. He had dried blood on his nose and hands, but didn't know what happened, the affidavit says, and texted Flores to let him know he wouldn't be coming in to work.
Gurule also had some scratches on his body, the affidavit says, as well as a swollen right hand and bruises on his forehead and right knee.
The CBI agent said Gurule then agreed to submit to a polygraph examination to determine whether he was telling the truth, the affidavit says. Based on that examination, another agent determined that he was being truthful about blacking out and not remembering what had happened the night before, according to the affidavit.
An autopsy determined that Flores had died of severe blunt force head injuries, that broken ribs were also significant contributors, the affidavit says, and that strangulation could not be ruled out.
The CBI agent also obtained a report from the Commerce City Police Department about an incident from 2018 where Gurule head-butted two other patrons at a bar, but did not remember anything about that, either, the affidavit says.
Gurule was arrested on suspicion of first and second degree murder, the affidavit says. He's due in court on Sept. 25 for a first appearance.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Latest from 9NEWS
