Man convicted of attempted murder for role in fatal Aurora bar fight
Nearly seven years after a bar fight resulted in the death of one man and the paralyzation of another, one of the men responsible has been convicted, the 17th District Attorney’s Office said Thursday.
Bryant Montoya, 27, was found guilty Wednesday of second-degree attempted murder, second-degree assault, third-degree assault and accessory to a crime for his role in the fatal fight.
This comes after Montoya’s accomplice, Ignacio Luque-Verdugo, was found guilty of first-degree murder in 2017, the district attorney’s office said. Luque-Verdugo, 37, is currently serving a life sentence in the Department of Corrections.
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Montoya was not connected to the crime until he was arrested in Arizona in 2017 on felony drug charges. His DNA was matched to the case in Aurora.
“I am pleased that both of the men who wreaked havoc on these innocent Aurora bar patrons in 2014 have now been brought to justice,” District Attorney Brian Mason said. “The actions of these two defendants ended the life of one man and forever altered the life of his brother.”
The incident happened on Nov. 21, 2014 inside the Bronco Bar on East Montview Boulevard in Aurora, police said.
Just before 1 a.m., Montoya and Luque-Verdugo got into an argument with a group of men over an issue with a beer. When the fight turned physical, Montoya stabbed Andres Cinto-Duran, 28, multiple times in the shoulder and back, police said.
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Luque-Verdugo then fired a gun into the bar multiple times, fatally shooting Cinto-Duran. Cinto-Duran’s brother was also struck and was permanently paralyzed as a result. A third man was hit in the leg, but he survived.
After the shooting, Montoya and Luque Verdugo left the bar and assaulted a man outside before fleeing the scene, police said.
Montoya will be sentenced on Sept. 17 at 1:30 p.m. by Judge Priscilla Loew.