Two men have pleaded guilty in connection with the February 2017 robbery and fatal shooting of a 32-year-old man near an RTD rail station.

The men robbed Tim Cruz at gunpoint at about 1 a.m. near the 12th and Sheridan station. Nathan Valdez, 20, then shot Cruz before turning the gun on his accomplice Ever Valles, threatening to shoot him because he “saw too much,” according to an arrest affidavit.

Valles, who is also 20 years old, begged Valdez not to shoot and then ran before he was shot in the hip. According to the affidavit, detectives saw a bullet wound on Valles’ left hip and a linear bruise leading to another bullet wound on his left buttocks.

Valdez pleaded guilty Friday to second-degree murder, second-degree kidnapping and aggravated robbery with a gun, according to a statement from the office of Denver District Attorney Beth McCann. He faces a stipulated prison sentence of 58 years.

Valles pleaded guilty in November to aggravated robbery and accessory to murder, according to the statement. As part of his plea deal, he was expected to testify against Valdez, however, Valdez pleaded guilty before the trial started. Valles faces a stipulated prison sentence of 16 to 32 years.

After his initial arrest last year, Valles was the center of a mix-up between the Denver Sheriff Office and ICE, who had deemed him a citizen of Mexico, known gang member and an immigration enforcement priority.

ICE placed a detainer on Valles. Denver jail officials said they notified ICE ahead of Valles’s impending release last February via fax after he posted bond earlier that day. ICE officials said the fax didn’t come until after Valles had been released.







