Valarie Garcia was 36 and a mother of five when she was killed on June 8, 2024, in an incident described by authorities as domestic violence. The events began at a Super 8 on Melody Drive where her boyfriend, Jesse Gladney, was seen forcing her into a Chevy Equinox after an argument; a witness said another person was in the front seat. Minutes later a second witness reported a man had shot a woman in a car matching that Equinox near 120th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard in Thornton.

According to the driver, Garcia and Gladney had been arguing when Gladney threatened her, then the driver heard and smelled a gunshot. Gladney admitted to shooting Garcia and later drove her to Platte Valley Medical Center in Brighton, where she died of her gunshot wound. Gladney was arrested at the hospital; investigators recovered a Kahr Arms PM40 pistol from the Equinox and he is facing a first-degree murder charge. His criminal history includes multiple convictions for domestic violence, stalking, and other violent offenses. Garcia’s family had tried to keep him away, saying Valarie wanted to leave but was afraid, and that she’d helped bail him out a week before her death.

Does anyone have information about the events at the Super 8 or the route the Equinox took between Melody Drive and 120th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard?