News Release|

A jury found Luis Martin Estrada, 22, guilty this month of killing 1 victim and injuring 3 others in a shooting at a hotel in 2021.

On October 2, 2021 at approximately 2:00 a.m., Aurora Police were dispatched to the Hyatt House Hotel on E. Colfax Avenue. Upon arrival, officers found multiple victims with gunshot wounds on the ground level floor of the hotel. Four victims were taken to nearby hospitals. Unfortunately, 1 victim did not survive his injuries.

The investigation revealed Estrada and co-defendant Ruben Mejia-Soto showed up to a party that was taking place in one of the hotel rooms on the sixth floor. Shortly after their arrival, a disturbance occurred and the two were shoved out into the hallway.

While the hotel room door was closed, Estrada fired multiple shots into the door, striking four people. Officers found ten fired shell casings and two live 9mm rounds in the hallway. While hotel surveillance cameras did not show the shots being fired, footage obtained by investigators showed Estrada leaving the hallway where the shooting happened with a gun in his hand just seconds after the shooting. One eyewitness in the hallway was able to identify Estrada as the shooter, and several other witnesses who saw the shooting and were threatened by Estrada as he left the scene described the clothing of the shooter, which matched the cloths Estrada was wearing.  

“Instead of walking away, Mr. Estrada decided to fire multiple shots into a crowd of people who were just behind the hotel room door. When you consider the small size of the hotel room, how many people were inside and how many times this Defendant fired into it, it’s a miracle that more of these young people were not killed,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Gary Dawson said. “Angel Ruiz died in that hotel room not knowing the name of the person who fired through the door or even seeing the face of his killer, but the jury did, and they held Mr. Estrada accountable for his extremely violent behavior.”

Estrada was found guilty of the following charges:

Murder 1-Extreme Indifference

Attempted Murder- Extreme Indifference (4x)

Assault 1-Extreme Indifference (2x)

Felony Menacing (3x)

Weapon Possession by a Previous Offender

“This defendant should have never been in possession of a firearm to begin with,” District Attorney John Kellner said. “His selfish actions put every partygoer that night in harm’s way, including the innocent hotel guests staying there. Life in prison is the only appropriate sentence.”

Estrada faces life behind bars. He will be sentenced March 23.

Estrada’s co-defendant, Ruben Mejia-Soto pleaded guilty in May 2022 to Accessory to a Crime for trying to hide the gun in the hotel parking lot and Harassment.

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