Ricky Roybal-Smith Pleads Guilty to Second-Degree Murder

DENVER — Denver District Attorney John Walsh has announced that Ricky Roybal-Smith pleaded guilty today to Second-Degree Murder and was sentenced to 48 years in prison. Roybal-Smith also pleaded guilty to Driving Under the Influence and was sentenced to eight years in prison.  The two sentences will run consecutively for a total of 56 years in prison.

On June 30, 2025, Roybal-Smith strangled 34-year-old Vincent Chacon in the jail cell the two men were sharing at the Downtown Detention Center.

On March 30 of this year, Roybal-Smith pleaded guilty to two counts of Second-Degree Murder in connection with the deaths of two men in Adams County.  He was sentenced to 80 years in prison on those charges.  His Denver and Adams County sentences will run concurrently.

“In just over two days in Metro Denver, Ricky Roybal-Smith murdered three men in cold blood.  Today’s sentence, alongside severe sentences in Adams County, ensures that Roybal-Smith will spend the rest of his life in prison, which is where he belongs given his horrific and senseless crimes,” said DA Walsh.  “I want to thank the prosecutors, investigators and victim advocates in my office, as well Detective Christopher Williams with the Denver Police Department’s Homicide Unit, whose outstanding, collaborative work brought about the successful resolution of this case.”

Chief Deputy District Attorney Kate Horton and Senior Deputy District Attorney Victoria Cisneros led the prosecution team for the Denver DA’s Office.

About the Denver DA’s Office:

The mission of the Denver DA’s Office is to protect the community, to seek equal justice for all, and to improve the quality and fairness of criminal justice on behalf of the people of Colorado. We achieve that mission through excellence in our work investigating and prosecuting crime, supporting victims and their families, working with the community to prevent crime, and providing fair alternatives to incarceration in appropriate cases.

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