Man On Acid Shoots Roommate With Arrow, Breaks Into Police Station To 'Turn Himself In'

A man from Colorado Springs was arrested for allegedly shooting and killing his roommate with a compound bow and arrow. He then attempted to turn himself into the local police station on Dec. 18 after the incident.

Carlos Alberto Trejo, 36, was taken into police custody. He was charged with one count of second-degree murder for the death of 37-year-old Martin Rodarte, according to the court records reviewed by Law&Crime.

Per a sworn probable cause affidavit obtained by Law&Crime, a corporal with the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) detained Trejo at approximately 1:23 a.m. on Dec. 18 after allegedly catching him trying to access the secure back parking lot of the station, breaking a glass window.

Trejo allegedly climbed the back gate marked "Authorized Personnel Only" and then tried to get into the locked back door of the substation. When he was unsuccessful to get in, Trejo reportedly pulled the fire alarm before using an ice scraper to crash the window near the back door of the station.

Trejo allegedly confessed to killing Rodarte and said he was "trying to turn himself in" when the corporal confronted and asked him what he was doing.

"I just woke up and shot my friend in the chest," he allegedly said, giving the officer an address in the 1300 block of Kelly Johnson Boulevard. "I shot him with an arrow," he stated, identifying the victim as "Martin."

The officer in the incident, Corporal A. Grimes, initially did not believe what Trejo was saying because of an encounter the officer had with Trejo less than two days prior.

"Corporal Grimes told Your Affiant he had dealt with Mr. Trejo on 12/16/2022, and Mr. Trejo admitted to using acid and cocaine at that time, and Corporal Grimes believed Mir. Trejo was hallucinating and emotionally distraught during his contact with Mr. Trejo on 12/16/2022," the affidavit states. "Corporal Grimes told Your Affiant that he did not believe Mr. Trejo had actually shot anyone with an arrow this morning and believed Mr. Trejo was still hallucinating and/or under the influence of narcotics."

The affidavit also stated that Trejo called CSPD at approximately 7:00 p.m. on Dec. 16. He said, "There was a situation in the apartment which he had to get away from," but he declined to provide the operator with any additional information. When officers attempted to call him back, they said he was "very uncooperative."

Several hours later, at 11:00 p.m., officers went to Guthrie's Bar and Grill, located only blocks from Trejo's home, responding to a welfare check on a customer who was "on acid, hallucinating, and making other customers uncomfortable."

Officers found Trejo, who allegedly told them that he was on acid. Trejo was transported to the hospital for a medical evaluation "for a possible acid overdose."

Following Trejo's arrest in his attempt to allegedly break into the police station, officers responded to the Kelly Johnson Boulevard address where they found the front door unlocked. Police discovered the body of an adult male on the bedroom floor of the apartment with "a compound archery bow" located next to the body.

Authorities managed to interview Trejo's girlfriend, who allegedly told them she left the Kelly Johnson Boulevard home a few weeks ago after "a disturbance" between her and Trejo. Rodarte, who she identified as Trejo's cousin, moved in around the same time, she allegedly told the investigators.

Trejo was held in the El Paso County Jail on a $500,000 bond. He is set to appear in court for his preliminary hearing on Jan. 25.