After 10 hours of deliberation, a Pitkin County jury Thursday found a 17-year-old California runaway guilty of attempted first- degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon in connection with a brutal October 2004 beating on Independence Pass.
Cinthia Romero, who was tried as an adult, faces a maximum prison sentence of 32 years. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 19.
Romero and the victim ran away together from California. Romero came to Aspen for a rendezvous with Jaime Rivera Castro, whose mother lives in a local apartment building.
Castro, who pleaded guilty to first-degree assault as part of a deal with prosecutors, testified to beating the young woman with a golf club and leaving her for dead for fear she would turn herself in to authorities, which probably would have alerted them to Romero’s whereabouts.
Six of the jurors spoke to the Aspen Daily News on condition their names not be used. They said they were convinced that Romero aided Castro in committing the crime but were uncertain as to whether she physically participated in the beating. The victim and Castro both claim Romero wielded the golf club, but their testimonies differed as to when the beating took place.
The jurors said determining Romero’s guilt was especially difficult given the credibility problems of witnesses. A few of the prosecution’s main witnesses – the victim, Castro and Castro’s mother – admitted to lying on the stand.
Defense attorney Arnold Mordkin said he intends to file a motion for a new trial.
