Jessica Vernon, 34, was shot and killed in the early morning hours of June 26, 2021, in the Super 8 hotel parking lot near East Fountain Boulevard and Aeroplaza Drive in southeastern Colorado Springs. Vernon and a male companion had approached a woman, identified as Selena Ramirez, to check on her; Ramirez stepped out of her vehicle and spoke with them. Ramirez’s boyfriend, Kenneth William Naranjo Jr., suddenly approached carrying a firearm, pointed it at Vernon’s companion and then, after Vernon confronted him, turned and fired into the Jeep where Vernon and her companion were seated. Ramirez testified Naranjo was about four feet from the vehicle when he opened fire. A bullet struck Vernon in the shoulder; she was pronounced dead at the scene despite attempted resuscitation. Her companion survived and later provided testimony about the attack.

Colorado Springs police developed evidence linking Naranjo to the shooting, obtained an arrest warrant, and arrested him on June 30, 2021. Prosecutors charged him with first-degree murder (extreme indifference) and related counts, framing the shooting as an unjustified act that killed Vernon and endangered her companion. The case proceeded to a jury trial in May 2023 that resulted in convictions and sentencing. If anyone knew Jessica, her movements that night, or witnessed the confrontation at the hotel, please share what was seen.