Westside gang boss Angel “Taz” Espinoza - who "showed no regard for human life" - faces 95 years in prison after pleading guilty Monday to second-degree murder, attempted murder and violating Colorado's organized crime act, the Denver DA said.
The 5-foot-4, babyface Espinoza led the “2D$” - Too Damn Smooth, Too Damn Self-Made and/or Too Damn Styling - which was responsible for dozens of shootings targeting rivals, including the killings of Paul Baca Sr. in 2021 and Christian Chirinos-Salazar in 2022.
Nearly 200 other victims were misidentified as rivals or caught in crossfire during the three-year crime spree, from 2019 to 2022, the Denver DA said.
Espinoza - who is just 22 - and a dozen other young thugs were indicted in 2023 on 254 felony counts, including murder, attempted murder, aggravated motor vehicle theft, assault, menacing and robbery. All 13 have pleaded guilty.
Espinoza entered a plea agreement and is scheduled to be sentenced to 95 years behind bars in May. He was originally charged with first-degree murder and racketeering, according to Denver Jail records.
“Angel Espinoza was the leader of a brutal criminal organization that terrorized neighborhoods on the Westside of Denver and showed no regard for human life," Denver DA John Walsh said. "The city is safer now that he will be off the streets, effectively for the rest of his life."
The lengthy investigation was led by the Regional Anti-Violence Enforcement Network - also known as RAVEN.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.