ALAMOSA — Henry Corral, 44, appeared in court this week in connection to his alleged involvement in the murder of two men – Aurelio Piña, 61, and his son Gabriel Piña, 37 - and attempted murder of a third – Manuel Flores, 43 - at the Sunset Inn in Alamosa during the early morning hours of June 23, 2024.  

According to documents obtained from the Alamosa Combined Court, Corral is charged with two counts of murder in the first degree, one count of criminal attempt of first-degree murder, attempted robbery and tampering with physical evidence. A previous charge of arson has been dropped.  

Although Corral has not yet entered a plea, comments made in court by presiding District Judge Newmyer Olsen, Corral’s defense attorney and the prosecution suggested the strong likelihood that Corral plans to plead not guilty in his upcoming plea hearing scheduled for March 4. Should he plead not guilty, the case will be set for trial sometime in July or August with DA Anne Kelly trying the case for the prosecution.   

Shortly after 2:00 a.m. on June 23, 2024, officers with the Alamosa Police Department were dispatched to the Sunset Inn, 1310 W. 8th Street, on a report of shots fired. When they arrived on scene, they found three victims who had been shot, all of whom were then transported to San Luis Valley Health Regional Medical Center. Aurelio Piña was subsequently pronounced deceased. His son, Gabriel, succumbed to his wound several weeks later. 

According to the arrest warrant, Manuel Flores was shot five times. He was then known to spend months recovering from his wounds.  

Just moments before police arrived, Corral fled the scene in a Chevrolet Avalanche, heading south-southwest out of Alamosa to the area of CR 106 and the 12 South where he crashed the vehicle. Officials state Corral then set the Avalanche on fire and attempted, unsuccessfully, to carjack another vehicle before fleeing on foot – barefoot as his shoes were found near the burning vehicle.   

Law enforcement officers from APD and the Alamosa County Sheriff’s Office were immediately on the scene with authorities focused on the area around CR 106 and the 12 South, which is largely undeveloped and sparsely populated with ranches, outbuildings and significant space in between. Multiple calls went out for assistance from other agencies.   

Residents of Alamosa County became aware of the situation at 4:50 a.m. when a “Reverse911” call advised people to stay inside and lock doors. 

Beginning in the early morning and throughout the day, law enforcement did a laborious house-by-house search throughout the area, “primarily for the safety of the residents”, APD Chief George Dingfelder said, “with the priority to get Corral into custody as soon as possible.” There were also aircraft in the air with thermal imaging capabilities, he said, as well as the Chaffee County SWAT with drones equipped for thermal imaging. 

Mid-afternoon, when the Valley Courier reached out to Dingfelder for an update, he said the search area had been expanded from 10 South to 15 South and further west into Rio Grande and Conejos Counties, not because of any information but “given how long it’s been, that’s how far he could have traveled.” 

Dingfelder also said that the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force and agents with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation had arrived on the scene.  

At 6:20 p.m., law enforcement got a break when a citizen reported seeing someone who matched Corral’s description north of CR 10S and east of CR 106, outside of the area where law enforcement was searching. 

“A lengthy foot pursuit with law enforcement officers from APD SWAT, Alamosa County Sheriff's Office, Adams State University Police, US Marshals and CBI Fugitive Task Force officers led to Corral being taken into custody without further incident,” read a statement from APD. 

Corral was subsequently transported to San Luis Valley Regional Medical Center for injuries resulting from the crash of the Chevrolet Avalanche and then transferred to a Front Range hospital for treatment. APD officers accompanied Corral to the hospital and upon his release, transported him to the Alamosa County Detention Center where he continues to be held on a $5 million bond.