A 22-year-old Aurora man will serve life in prison after shooting and killing four people in Aurora in 2022.

An 18th Judicial District jury found Joseph Castorena guilty on four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder on Thursday following a quadruple homicide that occurred on Oct. 30, 2022. Castorena killed three relatives of his ex-girlfriend and another a man living on the family’s property in an RV, according to a news release from the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. 

Castorena’s ex-girlfriend contacted the Aurora Police Department around 2 a.m. on Oct. 30, 2022, claiming that Castorena may be hiding inside of the home. She had filed a restraining order against the man just a week prior.

Dispatchers could hear gunshots during the phone call, according to the press release. When officers arrived, they found four people dead with gunshot wounds. 

The four victims included Maria Anita Serrano, Jesus Serrano, Kenneth Luque and Rudolfo Perez. Three of the victims were related to the ex-girlfriend and another lived on the property.

The ex-girlfriend and her two children were not harmed during the shooting.

Investigators found that Castorena had broken into the home and hid with a gun until the family came home. He then fled from the scene following the shooting, attempting to leave the country.

Castorena was arrested in Arizona in March 2023 and extradited back to Colorado. 

“Mr. Castorena attempted to evade justice by fleeing to Mexico,” Senior Chief Deputy District Attorney Darcy Kofol said in the press release. “We were not going to let a cold-blooded coward get away with murder. It was my honor to prosecute this case and help bring justice to the victims’ families.”

Castorena will be sentenced on September 3, 2024. First-degree murder convictions automatically result in life sentences without the possibility of parole in Colorado.

“This defendant went on a murderous rampage and then tried to escape justice by fleeing to Mexico,” District Attorney John Kellner said in the release. “I want to commend the tremendous efforts of the detectives and officers with the Aurora Police Department who investigated this case and tracked him down. After today’s verdict, he deserves to spend every last second of his life behind bars.”