Officials said Thursday nine associates of a drug trafficking organization have pleaded guilty in connection with the 2021 death of a Barrow County woman who was found dead in the Cherry Log community in Gilmer County.
Rossana Delgado, 37, of Bethlehem, was found dead at a rental cabin in the area on April 20, 2021.
According to a press release issued Thursday by the Gilmer County District Attorney's Office and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the associates of the drug trafficking organization conspired to abduct Delgado. The kidnapping happened on April 16, 2021, after she was lured to the Plaza Fiesta Shopping Mall in DeKalb County, under the assumption she would be going on a shopping trip.
"Delgado was taken to a residence in DeKalb County where she was bound and transported to subsequent locations in Clayton and Gilmer counties over a several day period, ultimately arriving at the location of her murder, a cabin in Gilmer County," the press release reads.
The cabin was a rental property. The suspects allegedly used a stolen identity and rented the cabin using an online vacation rental company.
The suspects allegedly tortured Delgado prior to her death, eventually leading to her murder. The release said the suspects also dismembered and burned Delgado's body. Additionally, they concealed and destroyed evidence of the crime. The members of the drug trafficking organization also helped secure transportation of its members to Mexico in an attempt to escape arrest.
Three of the suspects, Oscar Manuel Garcia, Megan Alyssa Colone and Juan Antonio Vega were arrested in Reynosa, Mexico in May 2021 and extradited to the United States. Juan Ayala-Rodriguez was arrested in Durango, Mexico in June 2021 and extradited to the United States. Several other suspects were arrested at various times throughout the investigation.
A Gilmer County Grand Jury returned an indictment against 14 suspects in Feb. 2022. A trial was set to begin on May 1, 2023, in the Superior Court of Gilmer County, but nine of the suspects entered guilty pleas prior to the trial.
The suspects who pleaded guilty and their respective charges and sentences are as follows:
- Oscar Manuel Garcia: malice murder, kidnapping, concealing death of another, removal of body parts from scene of death, aggravated battery and violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Garcia was sentenced to life in prison.
- Juan Ayala-Rodriguez: kidnapping, concealing death of another, aggravated battery and violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Ayala-Rodriguez was sentenced to life in prison.
- Juan Antonio Vega: kidnapping, concealing death of another, aggravated battery and violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Vega was sentenced to 70 years with 30 of those years in the Georgia state prison system.
- Megan Alyssa Colone: violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Colone was sentenced to 20 years with 18 of those years in the Georgia state prison system.
- Eva Galicia Martinez: violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Martinez was sentenced to 20 years, with 13 of those years being in prison.
- Terri Amanda Garner: violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Sentenced to serve time in the Georgia state prison system to be followed by probation.
- Patrick Harvard: violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Sentenced to serve time in the Georgia state prison system to be followed by probation.
- Calvin Harvard: violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Sentenced to serve time in the Georgia state prison system to be followed by probation.
- Shawn Callaway: violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Sentenced to serve time in the Georgia state prison system to be followed by probation.
The case remains open as authorities continue to search for several other defendants. Mario Alberto Barbosa-Juarez, Carolina Jazmin Rodriguez Ramirez and Maria Katherine Encarnacion all remain at large as of the last report. The GBI previously told AccessWDUN the remaining three suspects were believed to be in Mexico.
The GBI investigated the case with help from numerous local, state and federal law enforcement agencies including the Gilmer County Sheriff's Office, Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Marshals.
“I would like to thank all of the law enforcement agencies that were involved in the investigation of this case," District Attorney B. Alison Sosebee said. "This matter not only spanned across numerous local and state jurisdictions, but also involved the assistance of the federal government in extraditing defendants from Mexico. The GBI has been exhaustive in its investigation as well as the apprehension of these individuals. Our local and state law enforcement agencies have been invaluable, and I would especially like to thank the Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office for their extensive involvement in this matter, as well as the Fannin County Sheriff’s Office and the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance. I also want to extend recognition to the staff of the District Attorney’s Office for their months of preparation, long hours and perseverance in preparing this matter for trial to ensure that justice is served. It is my hope, even though this matter remains open, that the resolutions and sentences entered at this time will assist the family and loved ones of Rossana Delgado in beginning to obtain closure.”
