Pueblo man sentenced to 18 years after pleading guilty to manslaughter
A Pueblo man was recently convicted of manslaughter after pleading guilty to shooting and killing Michael Anthony Sandoval last June.
Edgar Earl Darden, 34, pleaded guilty to reckless manslaughter, a Class 4 felony, as well as possession of a weapon by a previous offender.
He was sentenced by Pueblo District Court Judge Thomas Flesher to a total of 18 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections — 12 for manslaughter and six for the weapon charge.
The two sentences are to be served consecutively. Darden was given credit for 279 days of time served in jail. His estimated parole eligibility date is July 2, 2032.
In exchange for Darden’s guilty plea, the original charge of first-degree murder was dropped by the 10th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. Had Darden been convicted of first-degree murder, he would have served a mandatory sentence of life in prison.
Pueblo police were called to a report of a shooting near the intersection of West 11th and Francisco streets on June 11, 2023, and found Sandoval dead at the scene.
Several 9mm shell casings and Sandoval’s red Toyota Camry were discovered at the scene, and witnesses told police that an argument between the two men had escalated to a homicide.
According to a Pueblo Police Department arrest affidavit, a neighbor who lived in the area said they saw Sandoval’s Camry cut off the suspect vehicle, a silver Honda Accord, before both vehicles came to a stop.
The neighbor stated the two drivers then exited their vehicles and began to physically fight. He said he then heard gunshots and saw one man fall to the ground. The driver of the Accord, later identified as Darden, then got back into his vehicle and left the scene, the neighbor reported.
An autopsy performed on Sandoval revealed he died of five bullet wounds, which struck multiple vital organs including the brain, heart, left lung, esophagus, several major arteries, and other organs.
An anonymous tip provided to Pueblo police indicated that Darden drove a Honda Accord and was known to have "beef" with Sandoval, according to the affidavit.
A search warrant for Darden's residence uncovered a blue cell phone and a Glock handgun magazine, which was loaded with 9mm Luger cartridges. The cartridges matched the spent casings found at the scene of Sandoval's murder, according to the affidavit.
On June 23, 2023, police received information that an eyewitness had identified Darden as the person who committed the murder.
The eyewitness met with police on June 26 and stated the man who committed the murder was a large, light-skinned Black man driving a silver Honda. He was able to identify Darden in a photographic lineup as the one who shot Sandoval, according to the affidavit.
Police authored a warrant for Darden in late July and sought the public's assistance to locate him. He was arrested on Aug. 27.
Darden pleaded guilty in a plea agreement with the 10th Judicial DA’s Office signed on May 31. His estimated mandatory release date is July 2, 2041. As of Tuesday, Darden was being held at the Denver Reception and Diagnostic Center to be assessed and classified prior to being placed in one of the Colorado DOC’s permanent facilities.
More Pueblo crime news: Suspect arrested, charged with first-degree murder in Pueblo’s 12th homicide of 2024
Chieftain Editor Zach Hillstrom can be reached at zhillstrom@gannett.com, or on X, at @ZachHillstrom. Support local news, subscribe to the Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo man gets 18 years in prison for 2023 manslaughter
