Three members of a street gang were convicted by a Jefferson County jury for organized crime and attempted murder in the metro Denver area and Jefferson County over the past 11 years, officials said Friday.
Jimmy George Valanzuela, 44; Timmy Dino Valanzuela, 38; and Michael Danny Valanzuela Sr., 46 were , according to a Jefferson and Gilpin Counties District Attorney news release.
The three brothers were identified as the leaders of the Gallant Knights Insane street gang, the release said.
“This was a very violent and highly organized street gang whose members had targeted witnesses for death in Jefferson County,” said District Attorney Pete Weir in a news release. “Other members of the GKI are known to have killed witnesses they believed to have cooperated with police.”
There were four named victims in this case, the release said.
The investigation began when Jimmy and TimmyValanzuela were arrested for attempted murder of a man at a bar in Lakewood in February of 2014. The victim they thought was a “snitch” was shot in the neck, but survived his injury. That case was rolled into the grand jury indictment.
Sentencing has been set for Dec. 2, the District Attorney’s Office said. All three men have prior felony convictions and could face significant prison sentences, officials said.
Elizabeth Hernandez: 303-954-1223, ehernandez@denverpost.com or @ehernandez
