By Shelly Bradbury
The Denver Post
DENVER — A man convicted of killing a Denver police officer 20 years ago applied for a prison program that could make him eligible to seek an early release in as few as three years, stirring outrage among the police union and the detective’s family.
Raul Gomez-Garcia, 39, was convicted of second-degree murder in the killing of Denver police Detective Donald Young on May 8, 2005. Then 19, he was also convicted of shooting Young’s partner, who survived. Gomez-Garcia was sentenced to 80 years in prison in 2006 — the maximum possible term. He will be eligible for parole in 2053.
But this month, prison officials notified Young’s widow, Kelly Young, that Gomez-Garcia had applied for a three-year prison program for people convicted of crimes as juveniles and young adults. If he were accepted to and completed the program, which focuses on building life skills, he would be eligible to apply for early parole, the letter said.
“He not only shattered our family, he shattered the law enforcement community, and this was a crime against society,” Kelly Young said. “This is not somebody that we want let out back on the streets. I have thought over the last week whether there is something during his last 20 years that should make him eligible for this. And I can’t think of anything… He could be a model prisoner, and he still should not be able to do this.”
On Tuesday, Gomez-Garcia said he has matured in the two decades since the murder, when he said he was a “teenager with a troubled upbringing.”
“Over the years, I have come to understand the magnitude of the decision I made that night,” he said in a message from the Limon Correctional Facility . “I’m deeply sorry for the pain I caused everyone involved, and not a moment goes by that I don’t think about and regret what I did. I have been working towards becoming a better person, making better decisions, and reacting in a much more productive manner when it comes to conflict resolution. …I’d just like an opportunity to prove that I’m not the same person I was when I was a teenager, and have a chance to live in a manner that’s deserving of a second chance.”
The prison program, created by lawmakers in 2016, is open to prisoners convicted of certain crimes they committed when under the age of 21.
Ninety-seven prisoners applied to the program between July 2017 and June 2024 , according to a January report from the Colorado Department of Corrections . Of those, 40 people were accepted into the program. Prisoners were blocked from the program for a variety of reasons, including the nature of the offenses they committed and poor behavior in prison.
Prisoners who complete all three years of the programming, which includes classes and hands-on lessons on financial literacy, career development, healthy living and technology, are then submitted to the parole board for consideration.
Between the 2021 and 2023 fiscal years, 17 people were granted parole after finishing the program, according to the Department of Corrections.
Roughly 40 Denver police officers joined police union officials and Young’s family Tuesday at the union’s headquarters to express outrage that Gomez-Garcia could potentially receive early parole.
“I think it’s preposterous that this is even a consideration, that the person who killed him will not serve his entire sentence,” Chief Ron Thomas said.
Young and his partner, Detective Jack Bishop , were working an off-duty security job at the Salon Ocampo social hall on West Mississippi Avenue on May 8, 2005 . Gomez-Garcia and a few friends tried to go into the event, a baptism that was invitation-only, and the officers refused to let them inside. They argued, and Young grabbed Gomez-Garcia by the arm and throat and removed him from the premises.
Gomez-Garcia left, then returned and shot the officers from behind in an ambush. He shot Young in the head and side. Bishop was struck in the back but was wearing a bulletproof vest and was not seriously hurt.
On Tuesday, Bishop said allowing Gomez-Garcia to leave prison early would “undermine the entire justice system.”
“Kelly and the girls are never going to see Donnie,” he said, referring to Young’s daughters. “I’m never going to see Donnie. So you know what? Gomez-Garcia should not see the light of day ever again outside of bars.”
Gomez-Garcia testified during his jury trial that his friends had teased him about getting ejected from the event and that he wanted to embarrass the officers. A Mexican national living in the United States illegally, he fled to Mexico after the killing but was extradited to the U.S. to face charges.
Then- Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey agreed to charge Gomez-Garcia with only second-degree murder in order to secure Mexico’s cooperation with the extradition.
Morrissey on Tuesday called the killing a “cold-blooded ambush” and said allowing Gomez-Garcia to enter the program would be “wrong.”
Kelly Young said she doesn’t want to see Gomez-Garcia released on parole and said she will fight against any such release as often as she needs to. State law allows prisoners to re-apply for the program every three years.
“I understand the purpose behind the program for juveniles, for 13-, 14-year-olds, but at 19, he should have the wherewithal — he left the baptism, thought about it, figured out a plan, and then came back,” she said. “It wasn’t a split-second decision where he acted out of anger.”
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