The Unsolved Link: A Trail of Terror Revealed 

For seven agonizing days, the family of Joaquin Gabriel Hernandez, 27, lived with the crushing weight of an unsolved crime—a young man killed by a gunshot on Upland Drive, with no perpetrator named. That veil of agonizing uncertainty was lifted, only to reveal a connection to another tragedy: the murder of Derrick Lamont Leach in Colfax a week later. The suspect arrested for Leach’s murder, Jose Cristian Bravo-Martinez, has now been charged with the first-degree murder of both men, confirming a harrowing Double Murder that terrorized multiple towns.

A Week of Violence: Two Lives Extinguished

The timeline of the suspect’s alleged actions is deeply disturbing. What started with the fatal shooting of Joaquin Hernandez on November 16th culminated in a desperate spree of violence that saw Derrick Leach killed on November 23rd. The suspect’s apprehension was rapid, following a manhunt that ended with him driving a stolen vehicle—a vehicle he allegedly stole at gunpoint after robbing four people. Investigators moved with commendable speed, connecting ballistic evidence and digital footprints that link the suspect to both Fatal Violent Homicides. This Trail of Terror emphasizes the random, brutal nature of the violence that extinguished two innocent lives.

Grief and Justice: Remembering Joaquin and Derrick

The arrest and subsequent charges offer a fragile sense of closure to the two families, but nothing can mend the gaping wound left by this violence. Joaquin Hernandez and Derrick Leach were individuals with futures, families, and friends who are now forced to grieve under the shadow of these horrific crimes. We hold the loved ones of both men in our deepest thoughts. While Jose Bravo-Martinez remains jailed without bond, we pray that the swift action of law enforcement leads to justice, allowing the two communities devastated by this shocking violence to begin the long, painful process of healing.