Denver man pleads guilty to New Year's shootings

[russ1943]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/0...

A Denver man accused of firing a gun into the air and killing a woman and an 11-year-old girl as he celebrated the new year has pleaded guilty in a deal with prosecutors.
He faces probation to 24 years in prison at sentencing set for July 10.
Prosecutors agreed to dismiss Cortez's remaining charges of first-degree murder, child abuse, possession of a weapon by a previous offender and illegal discharge of a weapon.
Authorities say Cortez fired once into a home on Jan. 1, 2008, killing 47-year-old Rebecca Yanez of Fort Collins and her niece, Angelica Martinez of Denver.
Cortez says he was aiming at a streetlight.



This one is weird on too many levels.

[ZombieHorde]

1. More and more I lean towards IQ tests for firearms and vehicles. nt

[madmom]

3. A high IQ doesn't go hand in hand with common sense.

[ZombieHorde]

4. I don't think an intelligent person would be shooting at street lights.

Though I do recognize that I could be wrong.

[madmom]

5. I've seen some really smart people do some really dumb things.

[ZombieHorde]

7. How do you know they were really smart? nt

[benEzra]

13. Especially when drunk. (n/t)

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

10. He was illegally in possession of a firearm.

[TheWraith]

2. Not really weird, just damn stupid.

Guns are one of those things that don't mix with alcohol and stupidity.

Not to mention, he already had a felony conviction, so he was holding that gun illegally, and still decided to play with it. Money says he gets prison.

[east texas lib]

6. You ought to be in Dallas on New Years Eve and Cinco De Mayo...

Sounds like Baghdad.

[rl6214]

8. It is VERY common in the Hispanic culture

to fire weapons in the air at midnight. I hear it here in El Paso every year, inside the city limits.

[ZombieHorde]

11. Sounds dangerous, those bullets are going to land somewhere. nt

[ManiacJoe]

12. It is very dangerous.

That is why it is illegal in most places.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

9. A fine example of the problem illegal possession and murder plea bargained to possible probation.