Pueblo man who killed two people in separate cases pleads guilty to murder, kidnapping

A Pueblo man has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping in the 2021 death of Raymond Ray, according to court records.

The plea deal, which was signed on March 28, stipulates that Nicholas Tumblin, 33, will serve 44 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections for the murder, plus 16 years for the kidnapping.

Additionally, Tumblin pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree possession of contraband in an unrelated case, for which he will be sentenced to 10 years. All three sentences will run consecutively for a total of 70 years in the department of corrections.

Additionally, Tumblin will serve five years of parole on each charge, according to the plea agreement.

Tumblin previously pleaded guilty on March 21 to one count of manslaughter in the death of Eric Trujillo, for which he will serve six years in the DOC concurrent to his other sentences.

Tumblin and Trujillo both allegedly participated in the murder of Raymond Ray Jr. on July 26, 2021. Tumblin stated he believed at the time that Ray had sexually assaulted his girlfriend, but his girlfriend later refuted that claim and told deputies she and Ray had been "fooling around," and Tumblin was jealous.

According to the affidavit, Tumblin told deputies he and his then-friend Trujillo lured Ray to Tumblin’s house on July 26, 2021 — about three months before Tumblin killed Trujillo.

The pair, along with Tumblin's girlfriend, allegedly proceeded to torture Ray with chains, ropes, and jumper cables before driving him to a property on 62nd Lane and Garnett Road, where Tumblin allegedly shot him multiple times.

Tumblin will be sentenced in all cases on April 11.

More Pueblo crime news: Juvenile shot Sunday dies from injuries; he's Pueblo's 10th homicide of 2024

Questions, comments, or story tips? Contact Justin at jreutterma@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formally known as Twitter, @jayreutter1. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain atsubscribe.chieftain.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo man gets 70 years for 2021 murder, kidnapping of Raymond Ray