A man charged with kidnapping and sexually assaulting a witness to a gang-related murder was convicted Tuesday night in Weld County.
The man, Christian Hanson, 22, was identified by the Weld County district attorney’s office as a gang member who kidnapped the woman in an effort to prevent her from testifying in the murder trial of Alexis Chaparro-Campos.
Jury selection in the Chaparro-Campos murder trial is scheduled to begin on Nov. 29. Chaparro-Campos is accused of killing Matthew Luna, 22, in June of 2009.
The woman was kidnapped Dec. 7, 2009.
Following the sexual assault, the victim identified Hanson as her assailant from a photo lineup.
The jury Tuesday night convicted Hanson of two counts of second-degree kidnapping; two counts of sexual assault, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and solicitation to commit first-degree murder.
He will be sentenced Jan. 6 and could face life in prison on the sexual assault convictions alone, according to the Weld County district attorney’s office.
Prosecutors said that while awaiting trial on the kidnapping and sexual assault charges, Hanson asked a fellow gang member to arrange for the sexual assault victim to be killed.
That gang member — Jesse “J Baby” Rodriguez, 21, of Greeley — allegedly told an undercover detective posing as a hitman that the sexual assault victim needed to be killed on behalf of Hanson.
Rodriguez has been charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and solicitation to commit first-degree murder. His trial is scheduled for Jan. 10.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com.
