Colorado Springs teenager accused of murder pleads not guilty | Courts

One of the four teenagers accused of killing 32-year-old Gabriel Villanueba last year pleaded not guilty to all charges on Tuesday, setting up a trial for early next year.

Santiago Dominguez, 18, appeared in court outside of custody for a hearing on Tuesday.

At Dominguez's previous hearing, his attorney, Josh Tolini, informed the court that he was seeking a new hearing date to allow more time for negotiations with prosecutors. On Tuesday, Tolini informed Judge Marcus Henson that no agreement had been reached and Dominguez would plead not guilty to all charges, leading to a trial.

Dominguez faces 11 charges, including second-degree murder, aggravated robbery, auto theft and several violent crime enhancements for the alleged Aug. 21 murder of Villanueba.

According to previous reporting by the Gazette, prosecutors believe Dominguez, 18-year-old Ali Talib and two juveniles ages 15 and 13 broke into Villanueba's 19th Street apartment to steal his gun after an altercation between Vilanueba and Dominguez at a party the previous night.

After Dominguez pleaded not guilty, prosecutors told the court that although negotiations had been held with the defense, no offer of a confession had ever been made. The prosecutor added that there would be no further negotiations.

The trial of Dominguez, who was released from custody on Tuesday after posting $75,000 bail, is scheduled to begin on January 27, 2025.

Talib, who is also free on bail, is due back in court for a hearing next month on September 10.

At Talib's previous hearing, his attorney, Shimon Kohn, said he requested a two-month delay due to growing concerns about his client's mental state. Kohn said conversations with his client in the weeks and months leading up to the hearing had raised concerns and that the delay was being used to consider whether a potential mental capacity defense might be available at trial.

An update on the future of Talib's case will be provided at the review hearing on September 10.

Dominguez also faces another criminal case in which he is charged with aggravated robbery and menacing in connection with an Aug. 29 incident, court records show.

The court has scheduled a preliminary hearing for Dominguez on the robbery charges in September. He has not yet entered a plea in the case.

The status of the proceedings against the 15 and 13 year old youths is unknown at the time of writing.