The basis for pursuing the deaths of Chacon and Garcia-Bravo wasn’t immediately clear. The lead prosecutor, Jim Bentley, couldn’t be reached for comment.
Colorado law lays out 17 statutory aggravators that make murderers eligible for capital punishment, and requires that prosecutors prove at least one.
At least two could apply in the teens’ slayings. One is the intentional killing of a person who was abducted by the defendants. The other is the allegation that the defendants were “party to an agreement to kill another person” that resulted in deaths.
Authorities say Greer and Cano-Partida were abducted at gunpoint in Colorado Springs and later killed over suspicions that Cano-Partida had provided information to gang rivals.
Ten people were arrested in the shocking crime, five of them charged with murder. Three of the murder suspects have since pleaded guilty to lesser charges under agreements that secure their testimony in court.
After a harrowing drive with their captors, Greer and Cano-Partida were forced at gunpoint into “execution position” and shot at close range on Old Pueblo Road near Fountain.
Chacon is alleged to have shot Cano-Partida first, before handing his pistol to Garcia-Bravo, who is accused of shooting Greer.
