Wheat Ridge Graveside Visit Ends In Gunfire, Judge Hands 16 Years To Shooter

A late-night visit to a Wheat Ridge cemetery ended in a fatal shooting and, now, a 16-year prison sentence. On Friday, a judge ordered Ryan Trujillo-Falcon to serve more than a decade behind bars for a confrontation that turned deadly during what friends say was supposed to be a quiet memorial.

Sentence and plea

Trujillo-Falcon, 24, pleaded guilty on Nov. 14, 2025, to second-degree assault and manslaughter. Judge Andrew Poland sentenced him to 16 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections on the assault charge, to run at the same time as a six-year sentence for manslaughter. Prosecutors had pushed for the longest sentence available, while the defense argued for a middle-range term, according to Denver7.

How the fight turned…

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