A Pueblo man has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of 27-year-old Dominic Adams in a plea agreement with the 10th Judicial District.
Gabriel Santiago, 19, was originally charged with first-degree murder for the April 2024 shooting.
In exchange for his guilty plea, the original first-degree murder charge was dropped. The plea deal included no sentencing agreement, with the exception of a requirement that Santiago not be sentenced to more than 20 years in prison.
Santiago will be required to pay restitution to the victim’s family, the amount of which has yet to be determined, under the terms of the plea agreement.
Police discovered a man, later identified as Adams, dead in a vehicle in the 1000 block of Elm Street after receiving a ShotSpotter alert at 9:25 p.m. on April 7.
The affidavit also states that Santiago’s sister, Alexandra Santiago, was found standing outside the vehicle, leaning into the driver’s compartment.
The vehicle contained several bullet holes, and Adams appeared to have suffered a bullet wound to the head.
Alexandra Santiago told police that she and Adams had been in a tumultuous, on-and-off relationship for the previous three years, and that she was pregnant at the time of the shooting.
She stated that Adams had previously been arrested for domestic violence against her, and that he was prohibited from contacting her due to an active restraining order.
Court records show that a permanent protection order was issued against Adams on June 3, 2022, with Alexandra Santiago as the protected party.
Santiago stated on the day of the shooting that she had spent the entire day with her brother, Gabriel Santiago, who had just dropped her off.
When asked which car Gabriel Santiago drove, she stated that he drove her vehicle.
She stated that her brother stayed at the house for 15-20 minutes after dropping her off before leaving in her car to give his friends a ride.
Adams eventually showed up outside the house in his vehicle, she said.
When asked if her brother had left the house before the shooting, she said, “I don’t know, he came in and then came back out, then left.”
However, according to the affidavit, after being directly asked several times, Alexandra Santiago admitted she witnessed the altercation that led to her brother shooting Adams, despite repeatedly telling Adams to leave.
She stated that she observed the two men arguing prior to the shooting. She stated that she closed her eyes and when she opened them, Adams had been shot.
Alexandra Santiago stated that Gabriel Santiago left the scene following the shooting.
Santiago told police that her brother had seen Adams strangle her before. She claimed her brother despised Adams and had previously warned her to stay away from him.
She also stated that Adams had threatened Gabriel Santiago several times and assaulted him in the past.
Santiago will be sentenced on April 4 in the courtroom of Judge Tim O’Shea.
