Kelly Young has not been able to sleep since she received an email from the Colorado Department of Corrections informing her that her husband’s killer was applying for an early release from prison.

Donald “Donnie” Young, a 12-year veteran of the Denver Police Department, was murdered on Mother’s Day weekend 2005 by an illegal immigrant whom he had just thrown out of a baptismal party because he was uninvited. 

His partner, John “Jack” Bishop, was also targeted but was wearing a bulletproof vest. Young, who was not wearing a vest, was shot three times — once in the head. 

His widow and two adult daughters have a week to write a letter to ask the CDOC to keep Raul Gomez-Garcia in the Limon Correctional Facility.

Gomez-Garcia applied for a program called Juveniles and Young Adults Convicted as Adults under an amended Colorado law which allows people who were convicted as adults under the age of 21 to apply. In 2021, lawmakers expanded the age range of people able to apply for the program, allowing prisoners to apply if they committed crimes before they were 21. Gomez-Garcia is eligible to apply because he was 19-years-old when he killed Young and injured Bishop. 

“I don’t think people realize it takes you back to day one,” Kelly Young told The Denver Gazette Monday. “My girls and I, we are all anxious, fearful and upset. It brings us back to the day it happened and it’s so so unfair.”

Under the new measure, inmates are allowed to re-apply for the program every three years, which means that Young’s family could have to face this scenario over and over.

Young said it will be hard to keep from showing her anger when she writes the letter.

“It’s a fine line to have to walk,” she said. 

The Denver Police Protective Association will hold a news conference Tuesday attended by Young’s family to voice its opposition to the convicted killer’s request, citing that Gomez-Garcia was was already spared a first-degree murder charge due to an agreement between the United States and Mexico to ensure his extradition. 

“The request for participation in this program, which could lead to parole, after such a short time is a betrayal to Officer Young’s memory, his family, and all law enforcement officers,” according to a news release from the association. “We will not stand by while justice is compromised.

“We are urging the Department of Corrections to deny this request and ensure Gomez-Garcia serves the full sentence handed down by the courts.”

Young said her husband’s killer has had too many chances while the families of his victims are now required to jump through hoops to keep him in prison. 

The path to a Colorado courtroom

After he shot the two police officers, Gomez-Garcia fled to Los Angeles, and then to his native Mexico, where he was apprehended the following month by Mexican authorities and U.S. marshals.

Gomez-Garcia was not extradited from Mexico for nearly two years and his arrest only happened because his grandmother turned him in. 

At his trial, it was revealed that, while sitting in the back seat of the patrol car, he asked the U.S. marshal and Mexican police which officer he killed. 

When he was told that it was “the dark-haired one,” he remarked that he was glad it was Young because he embarrassed him in front of his friends. Young had dark hair and Bishop was blonde. 

The sight of the number “13” shaved into Gomez-Garcia’s hair at his sentencing did not ingratiate him with the judge. The number 13 symbolizes the street gang Surenos.

The Denver judge slapped Gomez-Garcia with a maximum of 80 years in prison for killing the 43-year-old Denver police officer Young and wounding his partner.

Young had worked with the fugitive bomb unit. Bishop is still an active duty Denver police officer and works with the bomb unit. 

The incident created an international stir with Mexico and led to questions about illegal immigration. 

Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey said he’ll never forget the outrage at Young’s death and the support from the community on the day of his funeral, procession and burial at Fort Logan.

“Hundreds of people lined the streets throughout the entire procession. They stood on bridges as we passed 6th Avenue saluting him and waving flags,” he said. “It was a 10-mile procession. When we arrived at Fort Logan, someone on the walkie talkie said the last car had just left the Cathedral Basilica on Colfax.”

Morrissey remembered that elementary school children saluted Young’s casket as it drove by the playground fence.

Garcia-Gomez attempted to appeal his conviction in September 2009, but was denied by the Colorado Court of Appeals.

He argued in his appeal that he was never read his Miranda rights and, thus, his statement about being glad it was Young who died should be thrown out.

Seventh Judicial District Judge Jerry Jones based his decision on the fact that the defendant was not being interrogated when he made the statement.

“Defendant volunteered statements to the Mexican officials and asked them questions, to which they merely responded straightforwardly without inviting additional responses from the defendant.” 

Young’s oldest daughter, Kourtney, was 14 when he was killed and his youngest, Kelsey, was 5. They are adults now having experienced birthdays, graduations, a wedding and the birth of a granddaughter without their father. 

Lawmakers passed the law in the last election to change the allowable age from 18 to 21.