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Glenwood Springs murder defendant’s bond set at $2M

Ryan Summerlin
rsummerlin@postindependent.com
Gustavo Olivo-Tellez

Prosecutors say 27-year-old Gustavo Olivo-Tellez, the defendant in a homicide Friday south of Glenwood Springs, planned the crime for several days before killing his ex.

Arrested Saturday on first-degree murder in the shooting death of Blanca Judith Salas-Jurado, Olivo-Tellez’s bond was set Tuesday at $2 million cash only during his first appearance in district court.

The first homicide in Garfield County in 2016, the sheriff’s office characterized it as “a case of extreme domestic violence.”



Also arrested as an accessory to the crime, Olivo-Tellez’s girlfriend Michelle Castillo’s bond was left at $100,000, also cash only.

With witness interviews continuing, investigators Tuesday morning found what they believe to be the firearm and ammunition in the Roaring Fork River at Veltus Park in Glenwood.

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Salas-Jurado, 28, died of multiple gunshot wounds. Some police reports refer to her and Olivo-Tellez as a married couple and others refer to her as his ex-girlfriend. The two have a 3-year-old son.

Olivo-Tellez also lived at Pinon Pines Apartments on Garfield County Road 114, according to jail records. But it’s unclear if he lived with the victim.

Authorities were alerted to the crime by an in-law of Olivo-Tellez.

Earlier in the day Castillo drove to Denver to pick up Olivo-Tellez, according to an affidavit.

Deputy District Attorney Matthew Barrett said that in Denver, Castillo purchased ammunition believed to be used in the homicide and that at some point before the shooting she had the gun in her purse.

After coming back to Glenwood, when Olivo-Tellez went to the crime scene, Castillo waited for him in a restaurant, said Barrett.

And though it’s not clear if he was in the same room at the time, investigators believe Olivo-Tellez’s 3-year-old son might have been only feet away during the shooting, said Barrett.

After the slaying, the two suspects traveled with the child to Grand Junction and told Olivo-Tellez’s brother and his brother’s wife about the killing, according to an affidavit.

Olivo-Tellez said he’d shot Salas-Jurado in the face and stomach, according his sister-in-law.

“Gustavo stated that Blanca is not coming back from this,” and he didn’t believe the body would be found until Monday, his brother’s wife told investigators.

“When speaking of Blanca being apparently deceased, Michelle was nodding yes and signed a finger across the throat,” she told investigators.

At Olivo-Tellez’s brother’s house, the 3-year-old said his mother was “sick” and then looked down at the ground, according to an affidavit.

Prior to Friday’s shooting, Olivo-Tellez was wanted in another domestic violence case from August, in which he hit Salas-Jurado and bloodied her nose in front of their son, according to a warrant. At that time she had fled her apartment, fearing for both herself and her son. Olivo-Tellez had an active warrant for misdemeanor third-degree assault.

He has also been deported in past cases, said Barrett.

Authorities tracked Olivo-Tellez and Castillo to the Clarion Inn in Grand Junction, where they were arrested Saturday morning by the Grand Junction SWAT team. He was taken to the Garfield County Jail later that day on charges of first-degree murder, as well as misdemeanor charges of child abuse, third-degree assault and obstruction of telephone services.

His arresting charges also included domestic violence, a sentence enhancer.

Castillo, 24, also was arrested on charges of accessory to first-degree murder, which is a class 4 felony.

During questioning, said Barrett, Olivo-Tellez confessed to the crime and Castillo admitted to some degree to her role in the homicide.

Investigators will continue looking at her role, said the prosecutor.

Due to the extensive amount of information left to comb through, the prosecution was granted two weeks to file charges against the pair. They will appear in court again on Oct. 26.


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