Another delay in teen’s murder case stemming from fight in Gypsum park
Reverse transfer hearing for Nefi Ezequiel Armijo Hernandez, accused of fatally stabbing 14‑year‑old Jackson Davis, is pushed back to December
Chris Dillmann/Vail Daily
For Nefi Ezequiel Armijo Hernandez, an Eagle County resident accused of first-degree murder at 15, a legal proceeding known as a reverse transfer hearing could dramatically change the outcome of his future.
But that proceeding, which will determine whether or not Armijo Hernandez should be tried as an adult, has been delayed so many times now that Armijo Hernandez will be within six months of his 18th birthday by the time the hearing takes place.
Attorneys for Armijo Hernandez first requested a reverse transfer hearing for their client in June 2024 after Armijo Hernandez was charged as an adult with first-degree murder in May 2024 for the stabbing death of Jackson Davis, 14.
Armijo Hernandez is accused of stabbing Davis during a brawl involving several local teens at Gypsum’s Second Street Park on April 24, 2024. Armijo Hernandez, who was less than two months away from his 16th birthday at the time, was arrested shortly after the incident and charged with first-degree murder, among other offenses.
More than a year later, Armijo Hernandez’s reverse transfer hearing has yet to happen, and was delayed yet again on Tuesday — pushed back from July 14-17 to Dec. 15–18 in Eagle County District Court.
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The hearing was originally scheduled for October 2024, later delayed to February, and then delayed again until July.
On Tuesday, Armijo Hernandez’s lawyers cited an influx of discovery that will require more study. The delays in the case have frustrated the family of Jackson Davis.
“The defense had asked for 90 days, but then they couldn’t agree upon a date to set it for, and the only date they could agree upon was December 15, which I am so upset about,” said Christy Davis, the mother of Jackson Davis.
Prosecutors initially moved the case from juvenile court to district court in May 2024, a process allowed under Colorado law in cases involving serious violent felonies. Defense attorneys responded by filing a motion for reverse transfer, which, if granted, would return the case to juvenile court, where penalties are less severe and focused more on rehabilitation.
Christy Davis and other family members have expressed concern over the pace of the legal process and the long wait for resolution.
No additional court dates have been set beyond the reverse transfer hearing, which is now expected to take place Dec. 15–18.
