Man Convicted of Attempted Murder, Four Counts of Strangulation of Thornton Woman

On Wednesday, Aug. 25, District Attorney Brain Mason announced that 33-year-old Fermin Gonzalez-Flores was found guilty on three charges after an eight-day jury trial. Gonzalez-Flores was found guilty of Attempted Murder, Sexual Assault, and Kidnapping from 2020.

On January 16, 2020, the victim came home from work and was in her bed at home when Gonzalez-Flores, her cousin's then-boyfriend, came into her room. Gonzalez-Flores entertained a short conversation and then strangled the victim until she went unconscious.

According to the release from Colorado's 17th Judicial District, when the victim woke up, she found Gonzalez-Flores standing over her and attempted to defend herself. She used a knife and pepper spray she kept near her bed, but Gonzalez-Flores pulled her to the ground and started strangling her again.

Gonzalez-Flores dragged the victim to the front door of her home where the victim attempted to scream for help. Because of this, Gonzalez-Flores then dragged her back into her bathroom and continued to strangle her unconscious every time she woke up.

In the official release describing the incident and conviction, when the victim woke up once again in the bathroom, she found that Gonzalez-Flores was filling up the bathtub. He then proceeded to push her head under the water several times. The victim attempted to throw him off by "playing dead" but Gonzalez-Flores continued to hold her head underwater.

Gonzalez-Flores eventually pulled her out of the bathroom and back into her bedroom where he sexually assaulted her several times before he fell asleep. The victim used this chance to escape and went door to door asking neighbors for help. She was finally able to call 911 in a coffee shop.

Thornton Police responded to the call immediately and were able to swiftly put Gonzalez-Flores in custody.

District Attorney Brian Mason spoke about the nature of the crime and the importance of the verdict, saying:

The brutality of this crime is truly unspeakable. The defendant repeatedly tortured, brutalized, and sexually assaulted this victim. I'm gratefyl to the jury for returning a just verdict.

According to the release, the jury in Adams County found Fermin Gonzalez-Flores guilty on these 12 counts:

• Second-Degree Attempted Murder
• Kidnapping
• 4 counts of Assault-Strangulation
• 3 counts of Sexual Assault
• 2 counts of Violent Crime-Used Weapon
• Violent Crime-Cause Death/SBI

Gonzalez-Flores will be officially sentenced on October 15, 2021.