Clemente Flores-Hernandez, a 45-year-old Colorado resident, has been handed a 60-year prison sentence after admitting to charges of second-degree murder and first-degree assault by strangulation. The Denver District Attorney’s Office confirmed the sentencing in a recent statement, noting that several other charges against Flores-Hernandez were dismissed.
The sentencing comes two years after the tragic incident that led to the charges. Flores-Hernandez was given a 48-year sentence for the murder charge and an additional 12 years for the assault charge. The judge ordered the sentences to be served consecutively, culminating in a total of 60 years.
The incident unfolded on the evening of February 24, 2023. Flores-Hernandez entered a residence on Durham Court and fired four shots at close range at Karol Bedoya, a 44-year-old woman who was watching television with her two-year-old grandson. Flores-Hernandez and Bedoya had been romantically involved for ten years prior to the shooting. Bedoya, a mother of four, was declared dead at the scene.
Following the shooting, Denver Police Department officers discovered that Flores-Hernandez had taken the toddler. Bedoya’s adult son, who had been in the basement during the shooting, confronted Flores-Hernandez, who was still armed. A physical altercation ensued, during which Flores-Hernandez strangled the young man nearly to unconsciousness before fleeing with the toddler.
Despite his ordeal, Bedoya’s son was able to assist law enforcement in locating Flores-Hernandez. A high-speed chase ensued along Interstate 70, ending when Adams County Sheriff’s Office deputies and Colorado State Patrol troopers used tire-deflation devices to stop the fleeing vehicle. Flores-Hernandez was apprehended near Strasburg, a small town about 30 miles east of Denver.
The toddler was found safe and unharmed. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Bedoya’s brother-in-law told local media that there had been warning signs, but they were not recognized in time. Bedoya, described as a devoted “soccer mom,” had expressed her unhappiness and desire for Flores-Hernandez to leave just a week before her death.
Denver District Attorney John Walsh expressed hope that the guilty plea and sentence would provide some comfort to Bedoya’s family and friends. He also noted that Bedoya’s murder serves as a stark reminder of the devastating impact of domestic violence on communities and families. In exchange for his guilty plea, prosecutors dropped several charges against Flores-Hernandez, including first-degree murder, first-degree assault, first-degree attempted murder, second-degree assault by strangulation, kidnapping, vehicular eluding, and child abuse.