Glenwood Springs – A man was arrested on suspicion of shooting his nephew to death after the nephew allegedly had an affair with the suspect’s wife.
Prosecutors said Thursday they had not decided whether to seek the death penalty.
Jesus Hernandez de Jesus, 33, faces a first-degree murder charge in the death Monday of Ricardo Navarrete-Prudencio. Police said Navarette-Prudencio was shot four times.
Garfield County District Attorney Martin Beeson said prosecutors could seek the death penalty or life in prison if Hernandez de Jesus is convicted.
“We’ll consider the death penalty sometime way down the road,” Beeson said. “It’s way too early to even talk about it now, because our investigation is ongoing and will be for quite some time.” Authorities said Navarrete-Prudencio was from Acapulco, Mexico, but his age had not been released.
Relatives of Navarrete-Prudencio told investigators he had been living with Hernandez de Jesus in Florida but moved to Colorado after de Jesus discovered Navarrete-Prudencio was having an affair with Hernandez de Jesus’ wife, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
The relatives said Hernandez de Jesus had threatened to kill Navarrete-Prudencio, the affidavit said.
Hernandez de Jesus was being held under $3 million bail. His next court appearance is scheduled for July 11.
