Pueblo man admits killing sister's boyfriend in taped police interview

A Pueblo judge found probable cause on Monday for a first-degree murder case to proceed to trial.

During a preliminary hearing, a taped interview with police was played in the courtroom that showed defendant Raymond Apodaca admitting to the alleged killing of Victor Trujillo.

In the video, Apodaca could be heard saying that at the time of the killing he falsely believed Trujillo, who was dating his sister, was keeping his sister captive and not allowing her to leave the house or contact family.

"She called me later on and asked what happened ... she said, 'What are you talking about? He wasn't (holding me) or anything,' " Trujillo said in the interview. "I threw away my own life," he said, audibly sobbing on the tape.

Apodaca admitted to shooting Trujillo in the recorded interview, but said he did not know how many times he had fired the gun. "I shot until he was laying on the ground," Apodaca said in the recording. He said he didn't even hear the gunshots.

Police say Apodaca killed Trujillo shortly before 7 p.m. April 15.

At the scene, detectives from the Pueblo Police Department's crime scene unit collected five spent 9-milimeter shell casings, one live 9mm round and a black bicycle, later identified as belonging to Apodaca, near Trujillo's body.

A physical description of the shooter, police said, matched surveillance video obtained from nearby businesses of a man running from the scene of the crime.

Apodaca was identified by investigators as being the man in the surveillance video due to previous familiarity, police said. Detective Jose Medina testified in Monday's hearing that he was familiar with Apodaca due to previously serving as a sheriff's deputy in the Pueblo County Detention Center, where he had been on a first-name, last-name basis with Apodaca.

Medina testified that the gun allegedly used in the shooting was found in the basement of the residence where Apodaca was arrested in late April, underneath a washing machine.

An arraignment date in Apodaca's case was set for 1:15 p.m. Sept. 15. Apodaca is currently being held in the Pueblo County jail.

All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. Arrests and charges are merely accusations by law enforcement until, and unless, a suspect is convicted of a crime.

Questions, comments, or story tips? Contact Justin at jreutterma@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @jayreutter1.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo man admits killing sister's boyfriend in recorded interview