Man connected to human remains in Colorado valley faces murder, kidnapping charges
Courtesy photo
A preliminary hearing was set for Jan. 21 for Adre “Psycho” Baroz in connection with human remains of three bodies discovered in the San Luis Valley last month.
Nine criminal charges, including first-degree murder and kidnapping, were explained in a complaint filed by Alamosa District Attorney Robert Willett on Dec. 10. Baroz waived his formal hearing and advisement.
Most of those nine charges were filed in association with the disappearance of 19-year-old Selena Esquibel of Alamosa, who was reported missing Sept. 3.
Selena Esquibel
Photo courtesy of Alamosa Police Department
Selena Esquibel
The complaint indicates Esquibel was killed between Aug. 30 and Sept. 4 and states that a pistol was used to intimidate or kidnap her. The document does not state how the pistol was used.
Other charges filed against Baroz involved intimidation of a witness and tampering with a deceased human body between Aug. 30 and Nov. 6.
Baroz appeared in court Monday via a Webex remote feed from the Alamosa County jail. He was masked, wearing an orange and white striped jail outfit.
The prosecutor in the case, Fred Johnson, is on loan from the Boulder County District Attorney’s office, according to Willett, who lost his position in the primary election last June and will be replaced in the 12th Judicial District by Alonzo Payne, a former public defender who has no prosecutorial experience.
It’s not clear who will handle the preliminary hearing next month, although Judge Michael Gonzales said it should happen around the same time Payne is to be sworn in as the new district attorney “Mr. Johnson, will you be leading the charge at least for the time being?” asked Gonzales.
“I expect to continue working unless someone tells me otherwise,” Johnson answered.
Baroz is represented by Colorado Springs criminal defense attorney David Lipka.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation announced that investigators had located the remains of three people on a property on the border of Colorado and New Mexico in the San Luis Valley last month. Three days later, Baroz was apprehended in Gallup, New Mexico, and brought to Colorado to face trial.
Investigators told The Denver Gazette the remains were found in a burn pit on an abandoned property. Last month, a forensic dentist, called an odontologist, helped identify the remains of Myron Robert Martinez of Del Norte, a 38-year-old man who was reported missing to the Rio Grande Sheriff’s Office on Nov. 6. Martinez’ family reported there had not seen him since October.
Baroz has not been charged in Martinez’ death.
Baroz, 26, has had run-ins with the law in southern Colorado since he was 19, records show, ranging from misdemeanors to felonies with charges gradually getting more severe. In early 2014, he was arrested in Alamosa for a parole violation, which was followed by another arrest a couple of months later for assault.
In 2015, Baroz was detained on a charge of second-degree assault on a peace officer, after which he had several attempts to escape from jail, records show. By January of 2019, he was detained under investigation of sex assault and drugging of a victim, but the case was dismissed by the District Attorney’s office.