A 20-year-old man who with two cohorts shot and killed one man and injured three teenagers at Durango’s Santa Rita Park in October 2023 was sentenced Friday to 45 years in prison.
Dominic Ethan Baker-Alires, 20, pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder and two counts of first-degree assault causing serious bodily injury by way of a deadly weapon.
Baker-Alires attended middle school in Ignacio and high school in Farmington. He was living in Ignacio about the time of the shooting.
He received a sentence of 21 years for murder and five years parole upon release, and 12 years plus three years parole for each assault charge. He received credit for 459 days served while awaiting sentencing.
The sentencing was part of a stipulated plea agreement, meaning prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed to the 45-year prison term.
Restitution for medical bills, therapy and other expenses incurred by the victims that are still being calculated is scheduled to be set in April.
Enough friends and family members of the shooting victims attended the hearing to necessitate opening a viewing room where the proceedings were streamed live at the La Plata County Courthouse.
Eight people testified to the pain, trauma and loss they suffered because of Baker-Alires’ actions that resulted in the death of Rodney D. Bellino, 47, and the injury of a 15-year-old boy and two 17-year-old boys.
Sixth Judicial District Judge Suzanne Carlson, reading a statement by Baker-Alires himself, said that on Oct. 23, Baker-Alires, accompanied by Justin Maez and Kayden Hernandez, drove a black Dodge Charger to Santa Rita Park where he met his victims. A fistfight was scheduled, but Baker-Alires, Maez and Hernandez instead planned for a shooting, the statement said.
Upon meeting their victims, Maez drew a 14-caliber pistol. Baker-Alires drew an AR-15 platform rifle and they fired, Carlson said. Bellino was shot in the head and killed.
One 15-year-old boy was shot in the foot. A 17-year-old boy was shot five times and another 17-year-old was shot at least three times, according to an affidavit. Police recovered shell casings, two pistols and the AR-15 at the scene.
Deputy District Attorney Vance Davis said only cowards bring guns to a fistfight. The young men made victims were “thrust into adulthood,” and experience is a cruel teacher, he said. Despite their trauma, the victims have exhibited maturity, empathy and grace, Davis said.
Bellino was a single parent and left behind two sons, including Castillo, who addressed the court before sentencing. He mourned that Baker-Alires had planned for murder and then took it even further by shooting at multiple people.
“I hope it was worth it, dude,” he said, just as the clocktower bells chimed noon outside the courthouse.
Mary Wiebe, mother to two boys, including one who was shot, said Baker-Alires didn’t even know his victims’ names. Her older son had to rush his younger brother to the hospital to save his life. The three shooting suspects wrought wounds, PTSD, grief, nightmares and tears.
She said the shooting was monstrous, an act of senseless violence and cold-blooded murder.
Damian Wiebe, Mary’s son who was shot, said he suffered for months with a hole the size of a tennis ball in his back. After the shooting, he could not walk, even just to get up and move to the bathroom. He spent months relearning, compensating first with a wheelchair, then a walker and then a cane.
He said no matter his pain, he did not suffer as much as Castillo Bellino and his twin brother had in losing their father. He said he hopes Baker-Alires realizes there is a god, that he learns the lessons he is meant to learn during his prison sentencing and that, in the end, he prospers.
Robby Lord, who knew Bellino for nearly four decades after meeting at 14 years old, said in an interview Bellino was a true hero who would have taken a bullet for his shooters, who were just kids, without hesitation.
“He was funny and witty and he was so heartful,” she said. “... He worked solely by himself, alone, to take care of those boys. They’re the most beautiful reflection of him.”
She added he had an outstanding character, practiced dignity and respect and treated her with kindness and respect.
Baker-Alires’ defense attorney said Baker-Alires is typically a “quiet, gentle, soft-spoken” person, but that was not the case the day of the shooting. Then, he was drunk, immature and hopped up on testosterone. She said he needs to remember during and after his sentence who he really is.
Baker-Alires acknowledged the pain and grief he inflicted on his victims and their families, and said he has never suffered such loss. He apologized and said he does not expect forgiveness.
Carlson said Baker-Alires will have plenty of time to reflect on things during his incarceration.
The two other shooting suspects, Maez and Hernandez, are awaiting adjudication.
cburney@durangoherald.com
