Who was Jasmine Rivas-Hernandez? DNA nails trio in slaying of girl, 17, found shot dead in Denver alley
Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers' discretion advised
DENVER, COLORADO: Denver police revealed on Thursday, January 19, that three people were arrested in connection with the 2022 murder of Jasmine Rivas-Hernandez, a 17-year-old girl. The body of Rivas-Hernandez, who had been shot, was found on March 26 in an alleyway in the city's Montclair neighborhood.
A police affidavit obtained by the New York Post described how Rivas-Hernandez's legs had been discovered crossed at the ankles and fastened with a pair of white headphones. Officers arrested Robert Adam Solano, 34, Joseph Thomas Chavez, 26, and Shiloh Fresquez, 21, for their alleged involvement in the teen's death nearly ten months after the incident occurred. Police were able to identify the group after discovering Chavez's DNA in a stolen truck that was shown on security tape speeding down the alley hours before Rivas-Hernandez was discovered, according to the affidavit. Authorities claimed that Jasmine's blood was also discovered in the vehicle.
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The affidavit claims that when officers looked into the correspondence between Chavez and Fresquez, they found the link to the third suspect, Solano. Fresquez claimed in social media posts that Solano had shot Rivas-Hernandez and officers also learned that she might have been dating Solano. The affidavit states that Fresquez and Solano exchanged messages before and after the murder. Further investigation linked Solano's and Fresquez's cell phone whereabouts to the time and place of the murder.
When Denver police filed arrest warrants on Tuesday, January 17, Solano and Chavez were already in custody on other offences. Solano is charged with first-degree murder. Chavez was charged with first-degree murder accessory to crime and abuse of a corpse.
Authorities stated that Fresquez was arrested earlier on January 3 for her involvement in the homicide. The Denver District Attorney's Office has accused her of trying to influence a public official and being an accessory to a first-degree murder crime. Police have not yet provided a motive for the murder.
"We want answers. We want to know why this happened. I don't think there's anything that she could have done or could have done to anyone for someone to kill her like that. It just makes no sense," Diana Hernandez, Jasmine's cousin, told 9 News shortly after the tragedy.