DENVER – A former Colorado state senator and retired judge and his wife were found dead inside a home in southwest Denver on Monday afternoon, family told FOX31.
It is believed to be a result of accidental carbon monoxide poising.
The bodies of Roger Cisneros, 93, and his wife Adelia Cisneros, 89, were discovered by their granddaughter at their home in the 4700 block of West Yale Avenue near South Winona Court, family said.
The couple’s daughter tells FOX31’s Ashley Michels that Roger Cisneros arrived home on Sunday and may have accidentally left the car running in the garage and filling the home with carbon monoxide.
Statement released by former #Denver Mayor Guillermo Vidal via Facebook. @KDVR pic.twitter.com/WFUE8Qbk56
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Roger Cisneros was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico and served in World War II with the Army Air Corps.
He was elected to the Colorado state Senate in 1964 and served 12 years before becoming a judge in 1978. He was a judge for eight years.
Cisneros also founded the Latin American Research and Service Agency (LARASA).
A jury room inside the Denver Justice Center was named after Cisneros in 2009.
On his 90th birthday, Gov. John Hickenlooper declared Jan. 22, 2014 Roger Cisneros Day.
Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock issued a statement Monday night calling Cisneros a “trailblazer who represented our city honorably.”
“It’s heartbreaking to learn of the tragic passing of Judge Roger Cisneros and his wife Adelia. Judge Cisneros spent his career serving and working on behalf of the people of Denver and Colorado. He was a trailblazer who represented our city honorably in the State Senate, as a respected jurist on the Colorado Bench, and as a member of numerous community organizations. Judge Cisneros was a thoughtful and passionate voice for justice and empowerment for those who sought it, especially among Denver’s Latino community. Judge Cisneros and Adelia will be greatly missed, and they and their family are in the thoughts and prayers of everyone in our city.”