In Greeley, Colorado, a serene Sunday morning took a tragic turn for Joaquin Mininger when his 24-year-old daughter, Sierra Nicole Mininger, was fatally shot in her own home at 6 a.m. on a Sunday morning, as confirmed by the local police.
The suspect, Gabriel Esparza, aged 23, was swiftly apprehended by the authorities. Esparza, who was Sierra’s former boyfriend with whom she had recently ended the relationship, provided conflicting statements to the police. Initially, he claimed that he was awakened by a loud noise and discovered Sierra had been shot.
However, he later confessed to a much more disturbing revelation. According to a police document, Esparza admitted to enjoying playing a dangerous game known as Russian Roulette, deriving some kind of thrill from the uncertainty of whether a bullet was in the gun’s chamber. Shockingly, he disclosed that he aimed the gun at Mininger and pulled the trigger without realizing that there was a loaded bullet.
Esparza was booked into the Weld County Jail on charges of first-degree murder, possession of a weapon by a previous offender, and domestic violence. He has two previous arrests in Weld County and pleaded guilty in 2021 to illegal discharge of a firearm, for a case in October 2020.
“It’s like a bad dream,” said Joaquin.
Mininger’s father had lived with her for the past two years and was home at the time of the shooting. Joaquin said Esparza woke him up after the shooting and when he ran upstairs he saw Mininger bleeding on her bed.
“I needed to hold her wound until the paramedics got there,” said Joaquin. “I reassured her that I loved her and that I’m here for her, and if she could hang on, to please hang on. It’s the worst thing anybody could go through.”
Joaquin Mininger
Mininger, a JROTC Marine Copr graduation, left behind her father and two siblings. She also had three dogs, a cat and two birds, which Joaquin said he plans to take care of.
“She really wanted a family,” said Joaquin. “That’s why she had so many pets, that was her starter kit for a family.”
Joaquin said Mininger was protective of her family and had even helped one of her friends escape an abusive relationship recently. The father hopes her death will help raise awareness for issues of domestic violence in Colorado.
After investigators finished gathering evidence at the scene, Mininger’s family cleaned up her room. Joaquin said he now sleeps in her old bedroom, to feel closer to his daughter.
“Some people say it’s crazy, but she was my blood. She was sunshine. She’d walk in the room and it brightened up, everybody could feel her love and compassion,” recalled Joaquin.
Mininger’s funeral ceremony is supposed to take place next week.
Court records show that Esparza’s bond was set at $5 million on Monday.
If you’d like to help out the family with funeral expenses, click here. As of Thursday morning, more than $8,000 had been donated.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available through Violence Free Colorado or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233.
