An Adams County man was convicted of first-degree murder last week in the fatal stabbing of a 20-year-old woman in Federal Heights in December 2023.

17th Judicial District Attorney Brian Mason announced the conviction of 37-year-old Adrian Carracedo-Vega following a six-day trial in Adams County District Court, according to a news release Wednesday.

The stabbing happened on Dec. 30, 2023 at around 3 p.m., when Federal Heights police responded to the Tuscan Heights Apartments, near 1700 W. 85th Ave., and found 20-year-old Sachely Diaz with multiple stab wounds.

A witness said Diaz was near the apartment’s dumpsters, crawling on the ground covered in blood repeatedly saying “I’m dying, I’m dying,” according to the release.

Police and first responders attempted to save her life, but she died at a local hospital from her injuries. An autopsy showed two stab wounds to her chest and rib cage along with ligature marks around her neck.

Earlier that day, a friend reported Diaz missing when she failed to return from a nail appointment at a salon, the release said.

Investigators found bloody clothing in Carracedo-Vega’s home, which his wife reported to Thornton police, according to the release. Evidence showed that Diaz and Carracedo-Vega had been in a long-term relationship that ended in tension, with Diaz blocking Carracedo-Vega in the days before she died.

Officials also found a machete with Diaz’s blood in his car.

Cell phone records showed Carracedo-Vega at the nail salon when Diaz was scheduled to be there. Investigators said he took her from the salon and killed her.

After the murder, Carracedo-Vega fled to Mexico and was later apprehended and brought back to Colorado.

On Nov. 24, he was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, the release said.

Mason expressed gratitude for law enforcement in securing justice for Diaz’s family.

“This was a brutal killing and the defendant has now been held accountable,” Mason said in the release. “Sachely Diaz was a young woman with her whole life ahead of her. Her tragic murder is a stark reminder of the devastating impact of domestic violence in this community.”