BRIGHTON, Colo. — Convicted child molester Gilbert Trujillo repeatedly smashed his head into the wall of his holding cell before his sentence hearing in Adams County on Tuesday.
The former Adams 14 School District teacher was convicted in February of molesting two of his female students at Dupont Elementary School, one in 2004, the other in 2010.
Judge Robert Kiesnowski ordered sheriff’s deputies to use reasonable force to take Trujillo, 67, to a local hospital for treatment and delayed the sentencing for 24 hours.
“Just another gimmick to get out of his fate,” the father of one of Trujillo’s victims described the behavior.
“This is the second time he’s done this,” said another victim of Trujillo, who is now 21 and asked for her identity to be protected. “When they first caught him and threw him in jail. He cracked his head open today just so he couldn’t get sentenced and I feel like he’s going to try to pull the same stunt tomorrow.”
Adams County prosecutors confirmed the reason Trujillo has a bloody forehead in his mugshot is because he bashed his head after detectives arrested him in 2015.
A spokesman for the Adams County Sheriff’s Office said Trujillo was treated at a local hospital where doctors glued his wounds. Trujillo is back at the Adams County Detention Center under a 24-hour suicide watch.
He’ll return to court at 11 a.m. Wednesday for his rescheduled sentencing.
Kiesnowski didn’t want to delay the hearing more than 24 hours because the family of one victim traveled from Nebraska.
“It upsets me because we drove from so far to make sure that his was taken care of. I want closure for my daughter and for (Trujillo) to do this. It’s just ridiculous,” the father of the 2010 victim said.
The 2004 victim is anxious to share her victim impact statement with Trujillo on Wednesday.
“I plan on telling him I hope he rots in jail,” the victim said.
Trujillo faces eight years to life for four felonies related to sexual abuse of a child.
He was originally charged with molesting six female students between 2004 and 2011. The victims were 9, 10 and 11 years old. His convictions are for two of the six known victims.