DENVER — Family and friends of a man killed in a Denver Jail cell allegedly by the hands of his cellmate are demanding accountability, believing the two men should never have shared a cell.
Vincent Chacon, 36, was found unresponsive inside his jail cell at Denver's Downtown Detention Center last month.
"We want answers, justice for Vincent," the group chanted Saturday night outside the jail windows and to cars passing along Colfax Avenue.
Denver Sheriff deputies responded to the incident at around 2:15 a.m. Monday, June 30, when they found Chacon unresponsive in his cell at the jail. Life-saving measures were attempted until paramedics arrived to assist, a spokesperson with the city’s Department of Public Safety said, but Chacon was declared dead a short time later.
Officers with the Denver Police Department responded to the jail about 30 minutes later to investigate the incident. A preliminary investigation revealed signs that Chacon had been assaulted and that the injuries likely resulted in his death, the spokesperson said.
The suspect was identified as 38-year-old Ricky Roybal-Smith, a cellmate of the victim.
"Shock. We can't even wrap our heads around just how he passed," said Angela Hernandez, Chacon's mother.
Hernandez told Denver7 she believes the men never should have been housed together.
"I think a lot of people need to be held accountable for this, from the jail to the parole board," said Hernandez.
Chacon's family said he was booked in the Denver Jail on a warrant for petty theft and for driving without a license.
Denver7 obtained Colorado Department of Corrections records, which showed Roybal-Smith was out on parole for several cases.
In 2016, he was sentenced to 12 years for pleading guilty to vehicular assault-DUI, eluding, and DUI. In exchange, five charges of attempted first-degree murder and two charges of assault — extreme indifference, were dropped.
He was released early.
In 2022, he was arrested in Englewood for felony menacing and pleaded guilty the following year. There was a four-year sentence tied to that case.
"He had a lengthy criminal history," said Hernandez. "He was on parole."
We now know Roybal-Smith is also accused of fatally stabbing two men in Aurora on June 29. Aurora Police told Denver7 they hadn't pinned him down as a suspect before Chacon's death.
"If laws don't change, you're going to have more families like ours grieving the loss of their loved ones," said Hernandez.
The Denver Sheriff Department has yet to respond publicly.
Denver7 reached out to the department for a response and a request for an interview, but has yet to hear back.
While their family grieves, Hernandez is focusing on the memories of her son's life, refusing to let him be forgotten.
Chacon's family is raising money for his funeral expenses.
