It was a typical morning for 4th Judicial Chief Deputy District Attorney Tony Gioia as he waved goodbye to his wife and children before heading out to the annual September awards ceremony hosted by the Colorado District Attorneys’ Council in Breckenridge.  

His wife nearly let it slip as he walked out the door that morning. Gioia, unknowingly, had won the Robert R. Gallagher Prosecutor of the Year award, and his family would leave only hours after the goodbye to surprise him at the ceremony.  

The Colorado District Attorneys’ Council typically hands out six awards each year in various categories. This year, the 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office came home with awardees in two of them, with recipients also honored for the Victim Advocate award.  

Being in a “thankless” career, as Gioia put it, makes many days difficult, so receiving the award was an emotional moment for the prosecutor, who let a few tears fall while accepting the honor.  

“I think everybody got emotional when he stood up,” 4th Judicial District Attorney Michael Allen said. “I’m up there talking about him, he’s sitting like three rows directly in front of me, and I had to look away.” 

“It got everybody, for sure. It was a really nice moment,” he added. 

Gioia has prosecuted several major cases that made headlines in the Pikes Peak region during his nearly five years at the office. Most recently, Gioia was the lead prosecutor on the University of Colorado Colorado Springs double homicide case that left the defendant, Nicholas Jordan, with two consecutive life sentences for the deaths of Samuel Knopp and Celie Montgomery.  

After graduating from Doherty High School, Gioia pursued a career in law in Illinois. After coming back to Colorado, Gioia spent 10 years working for the 13th Judicial District Attorney’s Office before joining the 4th Judicial District’s team in El Paso County in February 2021.  

Seated in his office, which features a clothing rack with court apparel and a wall of photos dedicated to his family, Gioia took little credit for the award and instead praised his office. 

“I did not see it coming at all,” Gioia said. “To have that type of recognition on a personal level was very rewarding. But for me, I think it actually says more about this office than it does about me personally.” 

From working 18-plus-hour days to spending months prepping for trial, Gioia’s job isn’t easy. Outside of the courtroom, the prosecutor said he makes sure he is present with those whom he tries to protect through his job — his family.  

“The whole life we’re trying to protect doesn’t mean anything if you’re not there to experience it,” Gioia said. 

With four young boys at home, Gioia smiles as he speaks about his wife and praises her support and role as a mother.  

“She shows up for everything, all the time. She’s constantly supporting me and letting our kids know, ‘Dad’s out there keeping bad guys off the street,’” Gioia said. “There’s no way I could do any of this without her.” 

However, just by looking at him, it would be difficult to guess Gioia’s career. Each time he walks into a courtroom, Gioia has a smile on his face, an unusual look for the time and place.  

“He’s a rare person for our prosecutors,” Allen said. “He’s born and bred in Colorado Springs, so he’s got that love for the community. … I think that probably goes a long way, but he’s just a naturally bubbly, happy person.” 

Each year, the executive team at the office sits down to discuss who to submit for the Colorado District Attorneys’ Council awards, all while keeping the nominees’ identities secret. 

Allen told The Gazette the last time his office won an award was in 2021, and it went to victim support specialist Kimberly Sorrels.

Once again, the 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office was praised for the work its victim support specialists do. The specialists typically work on Victim Rights Act cases, or VRA dockets. Victims of criminal offenses that fall under the VRA have the right to address the court and have their wishes heard, and the specialists assist with that process. 

This year, the two awardees were honored, specifically for their work with the victims in the Return to Nature funeral home case. Although it is not a VRA case due to the type of charges, the district attorney’s office still assigned two specialists to the case. 

With hundreds of families to communicate with and provide resources to, Zaida Dominguez and Coyette Hanson have spent many hours in the courtroom.  

It’s unusual for two people to win an award that is designed for one person, Allen said. It’s a first for his office.  

“You’ve got to be able to see the worst of the worst and deal with people that are undergoing probably the most stressful things in their life and be able to bounce back and do that again tomorrow,” Allen said. “So, you’ve got to have that resilience.” 

Dominguez acknowledges it is a hard job, but she says it with a smile on her face as she sits in her colorful office downtown.  

“We’re meeting victims during the worst times of their lives. They don’t know us. We don’t know them,” Dominguez said. “Even the smallest of victories are big for us, whether it’s winning out a trial or just the victims letting us know that they got out of a bad situation and that they’re moving forward in their lives.” 

Dominguez arrived in Colorado about six years ago, going on to receive her master’s degree at UCCS. While studying, she was a 911 volunteer and ended up doing her thesis on domestic violence in El Paso County. Now that she’s been in her current role for about two years, Dominguez says she has found “her jam.” 

Dominguez is also a victim support specialist for Spanish cases. 

“That has opened a lot of doors for our Spanish cases because at a time, we didn’t even have a glossary of what each term meant,” Dominguez said. “And so, I, with other advocates, helped shape that.” 

Hanson, who started her career at the office as a volunteer nearly 10 years ago, is the victim support specialist manager, overseeing 14 employees, including Dominquez, while still carrying her own caseload.  

Hanson spoke highly of her co-awardee, describing her as compassionate and calling her “the perfect fit” for the Return to Nature case.  

Similar to Dominquez, Hanson acknowledged that her job is no easy task.  

“The hardest part is when we don’t receive the outcome that we’re hoping we’re going to get … when a victim does not feel that the justice has been served,” Hanson said. “None of it’s easy, but the most rewarding part is being able to walk alongside a victim from the beginning to the end of a case.” 

Just like Dominquez and Gioia, Hanson had no idea she would win the award until the ceremony.  

“I was completely surprised and incredibly honored,” Hanson said. “I’m incredibly well supported here, without a doubt, but I come to work with the passion to serve victims and ensure that I’m doing everything I can in my role. The fact that I won an award is an incredible honor that I’m really, really grateful for.”  

Tanya Wilson, whose mother’s body was among those identified in the Return to Nature Penrose location, spoke highly of her experience with the pair throughout the many proceedings.

“Living in Georgia through all this hasn’t been easy at all. … So needless to say, I’ve really had to depend on the victim advocates for accurate information,” Wilson said. “I think what they have is a thankless job, and I can only imagine how hard it is to be the go-between for so many families.”

“I didn’t even know they had won an award. … I’m glad they’ve received that recognition,” Wilson added.

Looking into the future, Allen hopes to continue the high standard of professionalism that led to the awards by continuing to provide the resources and time for his staff to “blossom.”

“We have some really talented people in this office. These three people are just three examples, but we’ve got so many amazing people here,” Allen said. “My biggest bragging point is that I just get to walk in the same halls as these people.”