Man, 19, arrested in murders of 2 Colorado Springs teens

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Deputies in El Paso County have arrested a 19-year-old man for the alleged murder of two Colorado Springs teenagers found dead south of Fountain last week.

Gustavo Antonio Marquez, 19, faces two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping, two counts of aggravated robbery and one count of child abuse resulting in death stemming from the deaths of Derek Benjamin Greer, 15, and Natalie Partida, 16.

The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office says it booked Marquez “in the late evening” on Sunday.

The two teens, whose deaths were ruled homicides, were found dead around 8:45 a.m. on March 12 along the side of Old Pueblo Road, about three-quarters of a mile south of Hanover Road. The Pikes Peak International Raceway is just across I-25 from where the bodies were found.

El Paso County jail records show Marquez is being held without bond on the charges. He appeared in court Monday afternoon for an advisement status hearing.

State court records show Marquez was also arrested Feb. 24 by the Fountain Police Department on two felony and two misdemeanors charges. He was charged with second-degree kidnapping, second-degree assault with attempted serious bodily injury, third-degree assault, and child abuse.

Records show Marquez posted a $5,000 bond in that case on Feb. 27. He appeared in court on March 8 in that case. A spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office said she had “not been made aware of any connection” between the two cases.

Court records also show that Marquez has had restraining orders filed against him in the past, though neither involved the teens who were killed.

The sheriff’s office still has not said how the two teens were killed. A spokeswoman says Marquez’s affidavit is sealed.

The investigation into the teens’ deaths is ongoing. Anyone with information on the murders is asked to call the sheriff’s office’s tip line at 719-520-6666 or 719-520-7777.