This content details a tragic incident where a 14-year-old, seeking to advance in the gang world, fatally shot a 32-year-old mother, Pamela Cabriales, who was caught in the crossfire during a drive-by shooting. The narrative follows the investigation, interrogations of the involved teenagers, and the eventual convictions of the perpetrators.
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a 14-year-old trying to make a name for
himself in the gang world. And the
passenger asked the person in the driver
if he can shoot him. And then the person
in the driver said yes. A young mother
caught in the crossfire. Ma'am, I'm
going to cut your seat belt. Okay. I'm
Officer Le with the Denver Police
Department. Okay. In a high-speed chase
that ended in a lifealtering interrogation.
interrogation.
This one reckless night shattered lives
forever. This is like a big
deal. This isn't like, oh, you stole a
car and didn't go to school. Like,
someone lost their life, dude. Behind
somebody's dumb that you was in the car
with. It was late, just past 10:45 p.m.
The streets of Denver were quiet, but
not empty. A Honda sat at a red light on
Kfax, right where it meets Interstate
25. Then a Range Rover rolled up behind
it and just as it was coming to a stop,
it rearended the Honda. A minor tap,
barely a crash. Then a dark-hooded
figure stepped out of the Honda, gun in
hand. No hesitation, he fired 15, maybe
20 shots straight into the Range Rover.
Then, as if making sure the job was
done, he climbed back into the Honda,
aimed out the window, and fired two more
shots at the Range Rover before speeding
off into the night. Jaden was on her way
home that night, just another routine
drive through Denver. She didn't think
much of the red light at Kfax until the
gunfire started. Pop, pop, pop, pop,
pop. I at first, it didn't register what
was happening until the cars in the two
lanes next to me started going. Sharp
pops cut through the air, one after
another. Cars in the lanes next to her
started rolling forward. That's when she
knew something was happening. Um, and
then I realized I said I had said, "Oh,
something's happening." And I ducked
down and several more happened. More
shots rang out. When she finally lifted
her head, he caught a glimpse of the
scene. And I pulled next to the car. Um,
barely got a glance. It looked as though
the window was either rolled down or
shot out, but I believe that the window
was out. I didn't look at the windshield
or see inside the vehicle. She couldn't
see inside, couldn't tell who had fired
the shots. And then the car that was in
front of them sped off. I went behind
them, but pretty far back cuz they went
pretty quickly and got off on
uh Federal. Jaden didn't follow. She
took her own turn, distancing herself
from whatever had just unfolded. At that
moment, she didn't know exactly what she
had witnessed, but she knew it wasn't
good. Got off on Federal and I actually
don't I didn't obviously see what
occurred because the car that uh was
obstructing my view. So, I didn't know
at the time if the shots came from the
car in front or inside the vehicle. Um,
but that's what I saw. Jaden hadn't
counted the shots in the moment, but she
guessed there were five to seven at first.
first.
Call it five to seven perhaps. Then a
pause. Just a second or two before a few
more rang out. Okay. And then you said
you heard you ducked down and heard
several more pops. How many more do you
think you heard? Perhaps three. Okay.
Jaden was preoccupied. She was driving
home from an appointment. And you never
saw anybody get in or out any vehicles?
No. I in my mind thought it was
fireworks or something and just wasn't
paying attention. At first, it crossed
her mind that maybe they were fireworks,
but as the noise echoed through the
street, she realized this was different.
This was real. She ducked her body,
reacting before her mind fully caught
up. The sound was sharp, unmistakable
gunfire. She felt exposed, vulnerable.
She ducked lower, hoping she wouldn't
feel the sudden searing pain of a stray
bullet. I recognized the sound of
gunshots, and I thought perhaps one was
going to hit me.
Fear didn't hit her right away. It was
more of a delayed reaction, creeping in
after the moment had already passed, but
the thought stuck with her. If she had
been just a little closer, just a little
slower, maybe things would have turned
out differently. Jaden wasn't the only
witness. Many more experienced the same
terror. Alex Martinez had been on his
way home from a soccer game when the
gunfire shattered the night. At first,
he wasn't paying much attention. His
music was up, drowning out the usual
city noise, but then flashes of light.
His stomach dropped. That wasn't street
lights. That wasn't fireworks. Uh, I did
not physically see the weapon. I seen
the light from when the when you shoot
the gun and you you have like the light
and the sound. So that's what I heard.
Unlike Jaden, Alex actually saw the
shooter when he got got out his he had
his hoodie on and he turned to face towards
towards
north and all I see is the side of his
forehead. So literally right here, the
figure turned just enough for Alex to
catch a glimpse of his forehead. He
wasn't tall, maybe 5'6 or 5'7. Then he
lifted his arm, partially hidden by the
roof of the car. Alex didn't need to see
the weapon to know what was happening.
The gunshots told him everything. Six
flashes, six sharp bursts of light, each
one sending a wave of adrenaline through
his body. The Honda was already speeding
off, disappearing into the night. Alex
didn't stick around to see where it was
headed. He just kept driving, pulse
hammering, knowing he had seen something
he wasn't supposed to. Meanwhile, first
responders rushed to the [Applause]
scene. Officers and paramedics moved
fast, closing in on the Range Rover
where a woman sat slumped over,
bleeding. Ma'am, I'm going to cut your
seat belt. Okay. I'm Officer Leer with
I'm going to battle down. An officer
pressed down on her wounds, trying to
slow the bleeding. There were multiple
I'm just going to keep some pressure on
few. Is she the only victim? She's the
They worked quickly checking for an ID,
searching her purse. See if I can find
Yeah. I don't know how you want to do
this. You want to put the seat back to her?
her?
One of them called out trying to get a
response. Nothing. What's your name? Can
She was the only one in the car. No
passengers, no witnesses inside, just
her barely hanging on. They tried
adjusting the seat to reach her better,
fumbling with the controls. Every second
counted. Hey, Scott, hold that seat.
It's not going. Is there anything behind
the seat? No. All electric. Hang on. I
got it. But the truth was already
sinking in. This wasn't just another
traffic stop gone wrong. This was a hit.
And whoever pulled the trigger was long
gone. An officer stepped around to the
back of the SUV. Glass crunched under
his boots. The rear window was blown
out. The front of the car was no
different. Bullet holes tore through the
glass. He counted them one by one.
I counted eight shots. Eight? Yeah.
There's one right above the left
windshield wiper. So that's two out of
like right there. Please reverse. That's
the same one as on the back. Okay,
that's probably eight shots just in the
windshield alone. Another officer
searched the purse again. Nothing. No
ID, no wallet, just an empty bag.
Whoever she was, they had no name yet.
Another officer called out for gloves.
You got gloves. Nitro gloves. Uh, I got
one. There's one here. Pick it up and
Are you okay?
I photographed it. [Music]
[Music]
Evidence needed collecting. Shell
casings, bullet fragments. Every piece
mattered now. Finally, an officer found
something in the car with her name on it.
it.
Is that her person? Yeah, I'm trying to
find an ID. Is there more than anybody
else? No, it's just one person. Could
you hold that open, please? Her full
name was Pamela Cabriales. She was just
32 years old. Pamela was heading home
after dinner with a friend that night.
Pamela worked as a real estate agent.
She had no affiliations to any gangs, no
criminal record. She was a hard-working
mom to her six-year-old son, Leo. Pamela
Cabriales fought for days in the
hospital, but the damage was too much.
She didn't make it. Just like that, a
mother was gone. And now there is a
child left behind, waiting for someone
who would never come home. Hours later,
an officer recognizes the asalent's car
from a previous incident involving shots
being fired into a McDonald's. The teens
allegedly led police on a short chase
before crashing and running into a
neighborhood where two of the suspects
can be seen running down a sidewalk. The
next day, a Denver police officer
spotted a Honda linked to a different
shooting, a gang related incident at a
McDonald's where multiple shots had been
fired. At the time, the officer didn't
realize this was the same vehicle
connected to Pamela's murder. But the
people inside needed to be questioned.
When police tried to stop the car, the
suspects took off. A short chase
followed, ending when the vehicle
crashed. Three teens bailed out,
sprinting through a quiet neighborhood
before making a quick about face and
running in the other direction.
Surveillance cameras caught two of them
running down a sidewalk before suddenly
turning back the other way. They hid in
a nearby shed, but it didn't take long
before the police closed in and for
police to respond and arrest all three suspects.
suspects.
Officers swarmed the area, cutting off
escape routes. Within minutes, all three
suspects were in custody. Authorities
found spent shell casings in the car and
also in the shed where they were hiding.
The car matched the description of the
shooting at Califax and also the same
caliber shell casings. Are these three
teens involved in Pamela's murder?
Authorities need to find out. The first
suspect was Remy Cordova. Since he was
only 14, he couldn't be interviewed
alone. So, his mom sat beside him in the
interrogation room. I'm going to advise
you of your rights and then I'm going to
leave the
room and um you two need to talk about
whether or not you want to you want to
talk about this investigation or not. Okay.
Okay.
Did she just stop him from admission of
guilt? Or is she hardly able to believe
what her son had gotten himself into? No
one knows, but one thing was certain.
The gang life had real consequences. And
now Remy was a suspect in a murder case.
Inside the police station, Remy Cordova
sat with his mother away from prying
eyes. His mother warned him. The cops
were asking if he went by something
else. Is he little Row? She was a mother
trying to protect him. She cut him off
before he could admit. When the officers
returned, the mood in the room changed.
totally different. Yeah.
Are you guys done talking? Yeah. I'm
going to turn the video back on. Okay.
Yes. Do you have my phone number?
The camera clicked back on and it became
obvious the mother knew that Remy was
somehow involved. That was it. No
explanations, no denials, just a quick
signature on the refusal form and the
interview was over. The officers shut
off the video. Remy stayed silent, but
that didn't mean investigators were in
the dark. They already knew who he was.
A name in their system, a face linked to
gang activity, a juvenile record that
spoke for itself. But the next suspect,
he wasn't as quiet. 18-year-old Nishan
Johnson, the driver of the Honda, had a
lot more to say. The question started
right away. Where had he been? Who was
he with? What happened that night? So,
Nishan, I just want to figure out what's
going on, what happened. If you could
just kind of take me through the events
tonight, where you were, what was going
on, who you were with, and don't worry
about me writing. You don't need to
catch up. Just go and I'll catch up with
you. I'm just taking down some some
things. Don't worry about any of that,
okay? That's just for me. So, if you
want to just start, work backwards or
forward, however you want to do that. I
mentioned westbound KFax to I25. Do you
know what I'm talking about with that?
No. Okay. When the officer mentioned
KFax and I25, Johnson hesitated. He said
he didn't know what that was about. The
officer tried again, asked him to just
walk through his night. Well, let's talk
how just your night went where you were.
Let's start with that. I was with my
auntie and my god sisters on it was like
Jewel. It's like behind it's Federal and
Jewel behind the
McDonald's. I was there all day with
them and chilling with them and then I
left. But
around what
12 11? No, it was like 11 cuz I think
police got behind us like around 12:00.
So, they came and beat me up at 12.
Johnson stuck to his story at first,
saying he had nothing to do with the
shooting, but the timeline started to
get messy after he left aunt's place.
When you mentioned 12, are we talking 12
noon during the day or 12 midnight at
night? Like torch night. Like I I was
there I was at my bay mom's then I left.
Then I went to my cousins and then they
um my father came to pick me up. That's
when the police got behind them. He said
his friend had picked him up around that
time. He said he started texting his
friend around 9:55 telling him to be
ready and by 11:00 they had to come pick
him up. At first he made it sound like
it was just one person, but then he
slipped, referring to they. The
detective caught it immediately. Okay.
And I asked it cuz you say they. When
you say they, it leads me, and I'm not
trying to trick you. I'm saying they
leads me to believe there's more than
one person. You're not saying he came to
get me. You're saying they came to get
me. So who's Yeah. Who's with him when
he comes? He had a partner in the car.
Okay. But I ain't know him. So I don't I
don't even deal with him. You feel me? I
wasn't even talking to him. So where was
he sitting in the car? He was in the
back seat. Okay. When I came out, by the
time I came out, he was in the backseat.
Is he black, white, or Hispanic? He
um to me, he looked white to me, you
feel me? But I wasn't really paying
attention. Okay. Was he kind of slim
like yourself or kind of husky or fat
like me? Husky or
I don't know. Can you catch his name?
Nuh-uh. The detective kept digging,
asking where the guy was sitting, what
he looked like, if there were any
weapons in the car. Johnson brushed it
off. Said he wasn't focused on that. But
the detective wasn't buying it. The more
Johnson talked, the more the details
started changing, and it was only a
matter of time before the whole thing
started to unravel. Johnson tried to
explain why he fled, saying the icy
roads made it hard to stop. The
detective wasn't convinced. He asked
again why Johnson didn't just pull over.
Why? Tell me more about why you didn't
stop. Cuz I don't have no driver's
license. I ain't going to lie. That's
the only thing. If I had a driver's
license, I pulled over. But I don't have
no driver's license. out. Johnson
admitted he didn't have a driver's
license. And without it, he figured
running was his best option. That led to
more questions. When you see the police
on the side of you, you're driving, you
make the turn, hit the curb, they light
you up, you decide not to stop. When you
notice the police, who notices them
first? You or the other two guys in the
car? To be honest, we all did cuz they
was right next to us. Tell me more about
the conversation going on in the car
about the 50 being next to you. We were
just like police right next to us. I was
like, I'm going home. Okay. He just
wanted to get home. Then the detective
shifted focus. What about the others in
the car? He kept saying he was just
trying to go home, but the detective
wasn't letting up. He knew there was
more to the story, and Johnson's version
wasn't adding up.
Did Lil Row or the guy in the car talk
about being on one or being that they
had a heater in the car or being
concerned about the police bumping you
guys up with anything in the car? See,
they didn't tell me trying to worry
about nothing. They was like, "Big bro,
cool." You feel me? They was like, I
guess they was trying to hide it from
cuz like get on their ass, you feel me?
If y'all doing something stupid, you
feel me? Come to my house, [ __ ] We can
eat food, treat, whatever y'all want.
Y'all can come to my house. Y'all don't
have to do no dumb, you feel me? Cuz
[ __ ] I just got through done doing
that group home, foster home. So I don't
want to be done in and out of jail,
[ __ ] I got two kids. I got two little
girls. So [ __ ] anything anybody
younger than me, I take them under my
wing and I try to show them anybody
anything better. Okay. And they know if
they tell me anything stupid, I'mma go
off on them. So I that's probably the
reason why they didn't tell me nothing.
Whatever they did, okay, before they
came cuz I' been on and then I would
even got in the car. Mhm. Like what is
y'all doing? Okay. Like, come on, cuz
don't I'm mad they put me in a
predicament like this anyways. Like,
[ __ ] don't put me in a predicament
like that. But true. Nishan insists that
he had no idea what the others were up
to. He claims they didn't mention
anything about weapons or being worried
about the police. But as much as he
tries to separate himself from whatever
happened, the detective isn't buying it.
He admitted he jumped out of the car and
hid in a shed. He claimed he froze,
waiting until officers found him. But
the detective can tell there's more to
the story. Nishan just isn't ready to
say it yet. Nishan said the other two
bailed the second they could. He had no
choice but to scramble out too. He
barely knew Denver. His real home is in
Georgia. The detective listened but
doesn't let him steer the conversation
too far.
So the tell me more about getting into
the shed. I was just in the shed and I
went to
sleep. After I went to sleep, I hear
people and then that's when I was in the
shed and that's when the dog came in.
Okay. Dog come in. He like I'm surprised
the dog didn't attack me. I ain't going
to lie. Like I'm slick blessed today cuz
the dog didn't exactly attack me. He
smelled me, walked away, smelled me
again, walked
away. And then after that, he thought
maybe, just maybe, he'd get lucky. But
when the SWAT team moved in, the dog
went into full takedown mode. When like
SWAT team came in, that's when he
started tripping for real. Like when he
like when the dude said I or some
command, he was on it. And that's when
he chipped my back in my foot. I was
like, "Hey, I do nothing. None of that.
I want to get bit. Whatever I say."
Nishan didn't fight it. He didn't want
to get bitten. He gave up as soon as
they told him to. The detective pushes
again. Was anyone else in the shed?
Okay. Okay. At any time when you're in
the shed, did you meet up with Lil Row
or the other white guy? No, they never
came back. So, was you in the shed all
by yourself? Mhm. Nobody else was with
you? Nope. And was it in a front yard, a
backyard? Uh, I was in like the back mid
like that was weird type to be honest. I
didn't know who shed it was. Nuh-uh. Did
you know whose house it was? Nuh-uh.
Nishan insisted he was alone the whole
time, but the detective knew he was
lying, and Nishan's version of events is
only getting shakier. The detective
doesn't let up. He circles back, asking
Nishan to walk through every moment
again. Who said what, who did what, and
exactly how it all went down. What is
the conversation in the car?
Really was no conversation in the car,
but they could go. I'm sorry. I said it
ain't no it wasn't no conversation in no
car but go
but go. Yes. Why was that? I don't know.
Okay. Earlier you told me cuz you didn't
have a license. Yeah. Like I don't know.
I don't have no license. But that's what
they was telling me. You said what was
the conversation? Okay. You feel me? You
said what conversation did we have while
the police was was behind us and who was
telling go? Little bro. We was like bro
just go. You feel me? I mean, don't have
no license. You feel me? I'm not f to
pull off. Did little bro say he was hot?
Nah. [ __ ] go. Oh. Okay. You know how
young You know
how days this young [ __ ] generation
want to run from the police or do
anything from the police now. You feel
me? So, so you listen to him. So, you
listen to him and you went. That's how
it was. You feel me? Type [ __ ] Okay.
Nishan blamed Remy Cordova for
everything. Remy panicked, yelling at
him to go. He didn't want to run, but he
had no license, and Remy kept pushing,
so he hit the gas. The detective then
asked him to estimate how long the chase
lasted. From the point you saw the
police to the point that you uh it gets
slippery and you end up crashing. Mhm.
How much time passed? I don't know. How
much would you say? A minute, 5 minutes,
30 seconds. I say a minute.
Okay. And then when you crash, what do
you do? Get out the car and run. Okay.
Anybody shed? Huh? And go to a shed.
They went to the shed I was in again.
The detective presses him. Who ran with
him? Did anyone follow? Nishan sticks to
his story. All right. Anybody go with
you to the shed? No. Did anybody follow
you? No. By myself? Okay. You're in
there by yourself? Yes, I was in there
by myself the whole like third two three
hours. Got to take a nap and all. But
the detective isn't just interested in
where Nishan hid. He's fishing for
something else. Then the detective zeros
in on a very key moment. That one minute
window when everything happened fast.
The police lights, the chase, the crash,
the escape. In that one minute when you
see the police and then you go, you
crash, you get out, you dip, and you go
to the shed, you say by yourself, right?
Yeah. Anybody give you anything before
you got out of the car? No. Anybody ask
you to hold anything? Nissan had been
insisting he was alone in the shed. He's
been denying that anyone gave him
anything. But now the detective drops a bombshell.
