Crime and Public Safety | Man found guilty of murder, attempted murder in Longmont drive-by shooting trial

May 22—A 21-year-old man was found guilty Wednesday of murder and attempted murder in a 2022 Longmont drive-by shooting and was sentenced to life in prison.

Yahir Solis was found guilty of first degree murder — after deliberation, first-degree murder — extreme deliberation, two counts of attempted first-degree murder — after deliberation, four counts of attempted first-degree murder — extreme indifference, first-degree assault — deadly weapon, first-degree assault — extreme indifference and illegal discharge of a firearm.

Solis was found not guilty of resisting arrest.

Prosecutors said Solis killed 13-year-old Isahis "Zay" Rosales and injured another boy on Aug. 20, 2022 in a gang-related drive-by shooting.

The jury returned the verdict at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday after deliberating the case for about eight hours.

An hour after a verdict was reached, Boulder District Judge Thomas Mulvahill proceeded with sentencing. Solis was sentenced to the mandatory life in prison without the possibility of parole on his first-degree murder charges, which were merged at the request of attorneys.

Four of his attempted first-degree murder counts were merged into two sentences, for which Solis received two 48 year sentences that will run consecutive to all other counts.

For two other attempted first-degree murder charges, Solis received 32 years for each charge. Both will also run consecutive to all other charges.

For first-degree assault — deadly weapon, he received 24 years. The count was merged with a first-degree assault — extreme indifference count. The two sentences will run concurrent with one of Solis's merged attempted first-degree murder sentences.

For illegal discharge of a weapon, Solis was sentenced to three years in prison. The sentence will run concurrent with all other counts.

In total, Solis was sentenced to 160 years on top of his life sentence.

Throughout the trial, attorneys references the gang affiliation of Solis and the victims. Solis was reportedly a member of a Lafayette rival gang to East Side Longmont, which the victims were affiliated with.

"I think whenever we have a homicide in this jurisdiction the community suffers a loss and the community is harmed but I think perhaps in this case more so than many others, the community has been shattered," Deputy District Attorney Adrian Van Nice said.

During the sentencing, multiple family members of Rosales took to the stand and addressed Mulvahill.

Rosales' mother, Latoya Guevara, talked about how she will never get a chance to see her son grow up or have a family of his own.

"No parent should ever have to bury a child or experience anything like this," Guevara said. "My son's body is dead but his spirit will live on forever."

Rosales' great aunt also addressed the court and said everyone is losing someone in the situation, whether it be Rosales or Solis. She then called on the community to "stop the violence" asking them, "Who else has to die?"

Mulvahill responded to her statement saying it was, "better than he could've said it."

"Something has got to change," Mulvahill said. "Because if your community keeps fighting, keeps banging, keeps shooting, look around maybe it's your child or loved one that is dead. Maybe it's your child or loved one facing a life sentence."

He continued, "I have no doubt you all love Zay deeply. I've not had this many spectators at a trial ever. I can almost feel your pain and anguish."

Solis declined to make a statement during sentencing.

Defense also did not make any statements during the sentencing hearing, and could not be reached for further comment Wednesday.

"These guilty verdicts reflect that the defendant chose to carry out a premeditated, cold-blooded murder and tried to kill two others," Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said. "The prosecution team and the Longmont Police Department has worked incredibly hard to secure justice for the murder victim and his family; I hope this verdict will provide the grieving family with some answers and comfort. I want to thank them for putting their trust in our team and the justice system. We appreciate all the time and effort that the jurors put into this trial and their deliberations. The jurors worked hard to reach the right outcome."

According to an affidavit, on the day of the shooting the three boys were walking through Kensington Park when they noticed a silver sedan traveling eastbound on Longs Peak Avenue.

Two of the teens told police that when the car turned south on Kensington Street, they saw the driver lean out the window, pointing the gun, and begin shooting. The boys tried to run, but one of them was hit in the chest and another was hit in the leg.

Rosales was hit in the chest and declared dead after being transported to Longs Peak Hospital. The 15-year-old who was hit in the leg survived, while the third person was not injured.

About six minutes after the shooting, police located Solis in a vehicle near Second Avenue and Pratt Street that matched the description of the vehicle in the shooting. A gun was found in the vehicle, according to the affidavit.