GOLDEN, Colo. (Mar. 6, 2026) – This week, the final two individuals were sentenced in connection with the April 2024 murder of 14-year-old Francisco “Cisco” Laqui in Lakewood.
On April 13, 2024, just before 4:00 a.m., Lakewood Police agents responded to the area of 1165 Garrison Street after receiving multiple reports of gunshots.
Investigators determined that Laqui had been hosting a house party at a vacation rental property, with approximately fifteen people in attendance, when two vehicles arrived, and an argument began outside the home.
Cecellia Nace (19) arrived driving a Nissan Rogue with passengers Philix Baca (19) and Anthony Allen (17). Joaquin Bustillos (21) arrived in a pickup truck with passenger Martin Ramirez (21) to pick up female attendees from the party.
As Ramirez, Allen, and Baca approached the residence, an argument began with individuals outside the home and quickly escalated.
Allen and Baca returned to Nace’s vehicle, while Ramirez returned to Bustillos’ truck. As the vehicles drove away, Baca fired a .45 caliber revolver, Allen fired a .22 caliber handgun, and Ramirez fired a 9mm handgun.
Laqui, who was outside the home at the time, was struck in the head by a round fired from Allen’s .22 caliber handgun. Laqui was an organ donor and passed away on April 19, 2024, after his organs were able to be donated.
All five participants were originally charged with First Degree Murder under a complicity theory.
In May 2025, after more than a year on the run, Baca was arrested in Colorado Springs.
Investigators later determined that the rounds fired by Baca and Ramirez did not strike any homes or people. Video footage from RTD and nearby Ring cameras was critical to the investigation and corroborated witness accounts of what occurred.
Bustillos, Nace, and Ramirez reached plea agreements in 2025 that were contingent upon their cooperation in the anticipated trials of Allen and Baca.
On December 9, 2024, then 22-year-old Joaquin Bustillos pleaded guilty to:
Count 7: Accessory to Crime – C.R.S. § 18-8-105(1),(3) (F4)
Under the plea agreement, Bustillos faced a potential sentence of probation or up to six years in the Department of Corrections.
On February 20, 2025, then 20-year-old Cecellia Nace pleaded guilty to:
Count 1: Accessory to Crime – C.R.S. § 18-8-105(1),(3) (F4)
Under the agreement, she also faced probation or up to six years in the Department of Corrections.
On April 28, 2025, then 22-year-old Martin Ramirez pleaded guilty to:
Count 8: Accessory to Crime – C.R.S. § 18-8-105(1),(3) (F4)
Count 9: Felony Menacing – C.R.S. § 18-3-206 (F5)
Ramirez faced a possible sentence of probation or up to six years in the Department of Corrections on Count 8 and up to three years on Count 9. By the time of sentencing in February 2026, he had served 377 days in custody.
On February 11, 2026, Bustillos, Ramirez, and Nace were sentenced.
Laqui’s loved ones filled the courtroom and described him as a talented boxer who made everyone laugh and had his whole life ahead of him. While reflecting on the profound loss they have endured, family members spoke about their commitment to moving forward with forgiveness and a desire to see an end to the cycle of gun violence.
One family member spoke about the senseless violence that robbed them of their loved one.
“On that fateful night, you made a bet with the devil, and the devil won,” the family member said.
They urged the defendants to find ways to give back to society and help guide youth so that others would not follow the same path.
District Court Judge Russell Klein sentenced each of the three defendants to five years of probation and credited them for the time they had already served in custody.
On October 10, 2025, then 19-year-old Anthony Allen pleaded guilty to:
Added Count 5: Murder in the Second Degree – C.R.S. § 18-3-103(1)(a) (F2)
Under the plea agreement, the parties stipulated to a Department of Corrections sentence between 20 and 30 years.
At Allen’s sentencing hearing on March 4, 2026, prosecutors asked the court to impose the maximum sentence of 30 years, emphasizing that Allen had already received a significant benefit by accepting responsibility. Originally, he faced a potential life sentence, with eligibility for parole after 40 years due to his age.
Judge Klein sentenced Allen to 25 years in the Department of Corrections, with 679 days of presentence confinement credit. His sentence will be followed by five years of mandatory parole.
On January 20, 2026, 21-year-old Philix Baca pleaded guilty to:
Count 5: Criminal Attempt to Commit Murder in the First Degree (Extreme Indifference) – C.R.S. §§ 18-3-102(1)(d); 18-2-101 (F2)
Count 6: Crime of Violence – C.R.S. § 18-1.3-406(2)(a)(I)(A)
Under the plea agreement, the parties stipulated to a Department of Corrections sentence between 20 and 30 years.
At Baca’s sentencing hearing on March 4, 2026, prosecutors argued that he should receive the maximum sentence for his role in the shooting.
Deputy District Attorney Chris Johnson told the court:
“We have spoken a lot today and throughout this case about young men, peer pressure, and bad influences. When you look at everyone involved here, Mr. Baca was the bad influence. He fired the .45 caliber handgun five times and committed the same act that Anthony Allen did. He was either lucky or simply a bad shot. He then spent more than a year on the run.”
“While Anthony Allen fired the fatal shot, I believe that Mr. Baca is actually more responsible,” Johnson said.
Judge Klein sentenced Baca to 25 years in the Department of Corrections, with 295 days of presentence confinement credit.
Statement from Senior Deputy District Attorney Jacob Mathews:
“This case simply should not have happened. Young individuals soaked in a reckless gun culture on social media came face to face with the very real consequences of gun violence. Their senseless acts put a community in danger and led to the death of a young man. We are grateful for the dedicated work of the Lakewood Police Department and their commitment to seeking justice for the family of Francisco Laqui. The sentences imposed this week close a two-year pursuit of justice, and serve as a reminder of the impact gun violence has every day.”
###