One of the first challenges I faced after being sworn in as Denver District Attorney in 2005 was a crime that shook Denver, the cold-blooded shooting of two Denver policemen — resulting in the death of Officer Donnie Young. Both wore bulletproof vests and would have survived, but the killer chose to shoot Young three times, including once in the head. Because the murderer, Raul Gomez-Garcia, fled to Mexico, where he was arrested, we could not extradite him until we lowered the charges to ensure both the death penalty and life in prison were off the table, as required by Mexico. Our elected officials locally and in Washington weighed in, but in the end I had to make a “deal with the devil,” as Donnie Young’s widow said, in order to get him returned to Denver for trial. An adult, he was convicted of second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder.

Gomez-Garcia is now applying for a program that will make him eligible for early parole. This application is based on recent legislation designed to provide juvenile offenders a second look after 20 years of incarceration. The law was later expanded to include young adults. This application can be denied by Moses “Andre” Stancil, the executive director of the Department of Corrections.

A proud member of the notorious MS-13 gang, Gomez-Garcia had been escorted out of a party that he was trying to crash by the two police officers but decided to return in the early morning to ambush them, shooting them in the back.

I have spoken to Kelly Young and her daughters since the murder of their husband and father by this cold, calculated act of Gomez-Garcia. Their lives have never been the same. The first time I met them in 2005, Donnie’s youngest daughter, Kelsey, was clinging to her mother’s leg when we discussed what we had to give up to get her husband’s killer back from Mexico to stand trial in Colorado. Now an adult, Kelsey has no memory of her father but has had to relive the fear she felt finding out Dad would never return home.

Gomez-Garcia told the U.S. marshals when he was arrested in Mexico that he was glad that Donnie Young had died, saying, “That’s the one I wanted to die.” At trial, Gomez-Garcia testified that he emptied his gun intending only to injure, but at sentencing it was a different story: Gomez-Garcia sent a message to his gang and conveyed his pride in murdering a police officer by shaving 13 for MS-13 in the back of his head. In my 33-year career handling murder cases, I never saw a murderer as proud of himself for taking another human’s life.

The murder of Donnie Young had a huge impact on the Denver community. On the day of his funeral, thousands of mourners lined the streets from the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception on Colfax to Ft. Logan National Cemetery in southwest Denver. As the hearse carrying Donnie’s body passed the playground at Greenlee Elementary, the small children lined up shoulder to shoulder along the fence the entire length of the two-block playground and saluted as the hearse passed. When we arrived at Ft. Logan, some 10 miles from the Cathedral, the end of the procession of cars filled with mourners had not yet left the church. But the true impact of the crime has been on Donnie Young’s wife and family — his daughters grew up barely remembering their father. Donnie Young’s family strongly opposes offering additional leniency to Gomez-Garcia.

Lawmakers have focused on the well-being of criminals, but Colorado’s Legislature should prioritize crime victims. Gang violence has drastically impacted many lives, and these victims depend on our legal system to ensure offenders serve their sentences without the rules being changed. As a community, we have a responsibility to value sacrifices made to protect us and to enforce our laws. Granting this cold-blooded murderer the opportunity for early parole would set a dangerous precedent and send a message to gang members that undermines our community’s commitment to police officers.

Contact Gov. Jared Polis (governorpolis@state.co.us) and Executive Director of the Department of Corrections Moses “Andre” Stancil (andre.stancil@state.co.us) to register your support for Donnie Young’s family and opposition to providing leniency to Raul Gomez-Garcia.

Mitch Morrissey served as Denver District Attorney from 2005 to 2017.