ALAMOSA — “It’s going to be a summer of big murder trials,” District Attorney Anne Kelly for the 12th Judicial District told members of the San Luis Valley Board of County Commissioners during their quarterly meeting on Monday.  

After informing commissioners that the DA’s office had successfully convicted Kawanna Nelson of second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of John Cossel, Kelly discussed the three murder trials slated for this summer.  

In June, Nathan Vigil, charged in 2020 for the murder of John Woodman, will go on trial. Up to now, the trial had been delayed pending an evaluation of Vigil’s competence, but the proceedings are now scheduled to begin on June 16. According to the court docket, the trial will last 10 days.  

In July, Henry Corral will go on trial for his alleged involvement in the murder of two men – Aurelio Piña, 61, and his son Gabriel Piña, 37 – and attempted murder of a third – Manuel Flores, 43 – at the Sunset Inn in Alamosa during the early morning hours of June 23, 2024.   

According to documents from the court, Corral is charged with two counts of murder in the first degree, one count of criminal attempt of first-degree murder, attempted robbery and tampering with physical evidence. The trial is scheduled to begin on July 14 and will last for 10 days. 

In August, Brandy Archuleta will go on trial for charges of murder in the second degree of Brandon Johnson. Archuleta’s trial is scheduled to begin on Aug. 12 and will also last for 10 days. 

In discussing the cases, Kelly provided the commissioners with some context and what could be considered encouraging news.  

“We haven’t had a homicide in the San Luis Valley since the Henry Corral shooting in June of 2024,” she said. “Summer isn’t here yet and that’s typically when there is an uptick in violent crime but no homicides in more than 10 months suggests a downward trend. “Things have calmed down since last year,” she said. 

Some commissioners were also surprised when Kelly told them a grand jury has been convened for the last 13 to 14 months in the San Luis Valley. Due to the sparse population of the counties in the Valley, the jurors were pulled from all counties but Mineral and have been meeting one night a month for the entirety of the time they’ve been convened.  

Prosecuting attorneys will sometimes take cases before a grand jury where jurors are not charged with deciding a person’s innocence or guilt but, instead, to decide if enough evidence exists to charge someone with a crime. If the answer is yes, the grand jury issues an indictment that states what charges should be brought against the accused.  

Kelly praised the individuals who had been serving on the grand jury for more than a year, saying that she was impressed by how seriously they took their responsibility. She further said the grand jury had issued some indictments that went on to successful prosecutions, including a “Cuban nationals illegal marijuana operation”. They have also looked into cases involving possible “sexual offenders” and “political corruption”.  

Kelly stated her intention to ask the district judge to convene an additional grand jury.   

Finally, the DA announced that her Assistant District Attorney (ADA) Wes Stafford is leaving his position and moving to Denver. At this point, she doesn’t believe she’ll be hiring a new ADA but will, instead, elevate some of the attorneys currently on staff to take on new responsibilities, thus growing their capacity. 

In wrapping up the discussion, Megan Bagwell, Kelly’s director of operations, shared with the commissioners that the Office of the District Attorney is excited to host the 2025 Diversion Conference for the State of Colorado. 

“Our jurisdiction is unique in an amazing area and with a history of utilizing restorative practices,” Bagwell said. “We have a team of partnerships and practice collaboration to assist people who have committed a crime but do not necessarily belong in the criminal justice system.” 

The conference is slated for June 9 and 10 in Alamosa and, as Bagwell put it, “will highlight our local program as well as the work that is happening across the state.”