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Family of Denver police officer fights to keep his…
At a press conference, emotional speeches from Donnie Young’s family pleaded for justice, with his daughter recalling her first memory—waking to news of his death.
DENVER — Nearly 20 years after Denver Police Detective Donnie Young was murdered, his family is once again fighting to keep his killer in prison.
Raul Gomez-Garcia, who was convicted in 2005 for shooting Young three times, has applied for a Department of Corrections program that could grant him early parole.
On Tuesday, the Denver Police Protective Association held a press conference alongside Young’s family and members of law enforcement, urging the state to deny Gomez-Garcia’s request and calling for changes to state law.
“This is not somebody that we want let out back on the streets,” said Young’s widow, Kelly Young. “He not only shattered our family, he shattered the law enforcement community, and this was a crime against society.”
Gomez-Garcia, who was 19 at the time of the killing, fled to Mexico after the shooting. Prosecutors were only able to bring him back to the U.S. after reaching an agreement that lowered the charge to second-degree murder, preventing a first-degree conviction. He was sentenced to 80 years in prison.
Now, because he was not convicted of first-degree murder and was under 21 at the time, Gomez-Garcia qualifies for the Juveniles and Young Adults Convicted as Adults Program under Senate Bill 1680. The program allows certain offenders to serve a three-year rehabilitation program, after which their case is reviewed by the governor. If approved, they could be released on parole for five years.
“His 80-year sentence that he was originally given is completely wiped away,” Kelly Young said. “I feel like I made a deal with the devil, and now the devil’s coming back to bite me.”
The possibility of release is devastating for Young’s family. His youngest daughter, Kelsey, was five years old when her father was killed.
“Someone asked me the other day if I had any memories of my dad,” she said. “And I can say that my first memory in life was waking up that morning to my mom telling me that my dad wasn’t coming back.”
Even if Gomez-Garcia is denied entry into the program this year, the law allows him to reapply every three years. Young’s family said that means they will be forced to relive this fight over and over again.
“My childhood was taken away from me, and now you’re asking for the rest of my life to be taken too,” Kelsey Young said. “I can’t believe we have to do this. I’m scared, and I’m just asking you guys to please help my family.”
Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas, who was among the dozens of officers who attended the press conference in support of the Young family, called the possibility of Gomez-Garcia’s early release “preposterous.”
“Donnie didn’t die. He was killed,” Thomas said nearly in tears. “And I think it’s preposterous that there’s even a consideration that the person who killed him will not serve their entire sentence.”
Young’s family and law enforcement leaders are not only urging state officials to reject Gomez-Garcia’s application but are also calling for changes to Senate Bill 1680 to ensure that violent offenders like Gomez-Garcia cannot apply for early release.
“Our hope is to have him be denied on this, and before he gets to apply again in three years, we hope to get the law changed so that he doesn’t even qualify,” Kelly Young said.
For now, the family waits—continuing a fight they never thought they would have to face again.