Daily Sentinel, The (Grand Junction, CO)



Daily Sentinel, The (Grand Junction, CO)

July 8, 2006

Pair plead guilty to reduced charges in GJ murder case

Author: By EMILY MORRIS The Daily Sentinel

Two of the three people accused of murdering a Grand Junction man pleaded guilty to a reduced charge Friday afternoon.

Betrina Aguayo, 24, and Gary Ortiz, 19, pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery, a class four felony. Aggravated robbery means they had the intent to kill, maim or injure their robbery victim if he offered resistance.

The plea agreement left sentencing open to the judge. A class four felony carries a presumptive sentence of two to eight years in the Colorado Department of Corrections.

The judge also could sentence them to Community Corrections or probation.

Aguayo and Ortiz, along with Eric Snyder, 22, originally were charged with first-degree murder, felony murder, first-degree assault and attempted aggravated robbery in the Oct. 15 slaying of 44-year-old Lindsay Little.

According to court records, Snyder confessed to police that he shot Little.

He told detectives 19-year-old David Cuellar gave handguns to him, Aguayo and Ortiz and told them to go into town and collect on drug debts.

The three spotted Little in the 1000 block of Belford Avenue, and Ortiz "pulled over and told Snyder to off the guy," according to court records.

Snyder reportedly shot Little in the face after demanding money.

The three then fled the scene, according to court records.

After being hospitalized for several days, Little was discovered dead Oct. 27 in his mother's home in Olathe.

An autopsy concluded the cause of death was pneumonia, and the manner of death was homicide.

Ortiz returns to court for sentencing Sept. 7 at 8 a.m. Aguayo, who is expected to give birth next week, is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 13 at 8 a.m. Both are out on a bond.

Snyder remains in custody and is undecided about the plea agreement offered to him, which is different than what was offered to Aguayo and Ortiz, according to public defender Will McNulty.

Snyder is scheduled to return to court Aug. 4 at 8:30 a.m.

If Snyder does not accept a plea agreement, a 13-day trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 24.

Emily Morris can be reached via e-mail at emorris@.

(c) 2006 Cox Newspapers, Inc. - The Daily Sentinel

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