Shooter Gets Life in Prison for Murder of Teenager at Denver Airbnb Party

One of the shooters who opened fire on a party at a Montbello Airbnb, killing eighteen-year-old Rigoberto Esparza III, will spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Joseph Lash, 22, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Tuesday, October 14. He was convicted of first-degree murder last week, in addition to felony menacing, being an accessory to murder, illegal discharge of a firearm, misdemeanor use of a weapon, and, in a separate case, robbery.

Esparza, called “Rigo” by his family, was standing outside the Airbnb on March 11, 2023, when Lash and a second suspect drove by and shot up the house. The shooters were reportedly angry about the party’s host charging $100 to enter, according to the arrest affidavit. They fired at random, striking Esparza in the torso. He died at the scene.

On the day before Esparza’s burial, his father, Rigoberto Esparza Jr., committed suicide. His family says the father couldn’t handle the grief of losing his son.

“This family will never be the same,” said Esparza’s mother, Miranda Fresquez, during the sentencing. “No amount of punishment, nothing that you can do in this lifetime, will bring my son back or change the profound impact that this has had. It’s a horrific thing that has happened to my family.”

Esparza also left behind a child of his own: a baby boy who is now three years old.

“His son calls out for him every single day,” said Anais De la Cruz, Esparza’s cousin, during the sentencing. “He was always such a kind person. He had dreams he wanted to accomplish and he wanted to become better for his son. Since Rigo has been gone, there has been an emptiness that nothing can fill.”

In Colorado, first-degree murder carries a mandatory life sentence, so the judge had no discretion during Tuesday’s hearing. However, Lash’s family spoke in his defense regardless.

Lash’s adopted father explained that he was born to a drug addicted mother and spent the majority of his teenage years either in mental health treatment facilities or as a runaway. Days before the fatal shooting, Lash had cut off his ankle monitor after being released from commitment against his parents’ wishes, his father claimed.

“While I am sickened by the behaviors he was involved in prior to his incarceration, I am thrilled to see the positive changes he has made since,” Kevin Lash said during the sentencing. “In addition to the pain and irreparable harm suffered by the victims of the crime, I also anguish over our judicial system that too often treats young people, like Joey, and many others in his situation, as if they are permanently irredeemable.”

Denver District Judge Alex Myers seemingly disagreed with the father’s criticisms, describing Lash’s life sentence as “certainly warranted.”

“That system and those circumstances did not pull the trigger in this case. That was Mr. Lash,” Myers said during the sentencing. “He did that. He may have been a young person, but he did that.”

In speaking to Esparza’s family, the judge added, “The sentence I impose today, I know, is obviously not going to bring back your son. It’s not going to end your pain. But it is my hope that by ending this process, it allows you and your family to move forward.”

Three people were arrested and charged in connection with Esparza’s murder: Lash, Alijah Scott and Daniel Villegas.

According to the arrest affidavit, Lash and Scott allegedly fired between 41 and 52 rounds at the Montbello rental house. Villegas drove the car used in the drive-by, circling the party three times as the passengers prepared for the attack and then opened fire.

It was the third shooting to occur at a rental house owned by Bobby Manigo, who operated residential Denver homes like nightclubs. Manigo, who has since had his short-term rental license revoked by the city, would charge hefty entrance fees and fit the properties with stripper poles, bars, DJs and food trucks.

Villegas was sentenced to twelve years in prison, but the sentence was suspended on the condition that he complete five years in the Youthful Offender System, according to the Denver District Attorney’s Office.

Scott was charged with first-degree murder. His trial is scheduled to begin on February 9.