Two sentenced in Lakewood murder, police chase

Derrick Blake

JEFFERSON COUNTY – Two people charged in a Lakewood homicide face lengthy stretches in prison for their roles in the February death of 19-year-old Saloman Adolfo Mendoza.

The final two defendants in the case, Angela Christine Sanders, 33, of Thornton and Derrick William Blake, 33, of Lakewood were sentenced in Jefferson County District Court late Friday.

Blake pled guilty to second degree murder, menacing, eluding, possession of a weapon by a previous offender and tampering with physical evidence.

Sanders, who was on her first day of parole for a previous drug conviction, was sentenced to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to vehicular eluding in connection with a car-chase that followed Mendoza’s death. She was also ordered to serve the remaining five years on her previous conviction.

Sanders will serve the terms consecutively, a total of 17 years behind bars.

Angela C. Sanders

A third participant in Mendoza’s death, Phillip Frank Montano, 21, of Lakewood earlier this year pleaded guilty to charges of being an accessory to murder and reckless manslaughter, and in August was sentenced to 24 years in prison.

The three were arrested Feb. 11 after Lakewood police were dispatched to an apartment complex in the 200 block of S. Ingalls Street to investigate a reported shooting.

Responding officers saw a Toyotas Camry leaving the scene and moved to stop the car, but the driver, later identified as Sanders, began trying to evade Lakewood police and, later, Denver police after the chase moved out of Lakewood.

Lakewood Police reports indicate Montano was throwing blood-stained clothes and shoes from the car during the attempt outrun police.

Sanders, who was driving, lost control of the car at the intersection of West Alameda Avenue and Santa Fe, hitting a utility pole. At that point, Montano jumped from the car and ran into a nearby café, where officers arrested him.

Phillip Montano

As other officers the car with Sanders and Blake still inside, she sped away and came close to hitting at least one police officer as they approached the car,

The chase eventually ended at I-25 and Santa Fe when police forced the vehicle to stop. After detaining Sanders and Blake, officers discovered Mendoza’s body in the trunk with a single gunshot wound to the head, according to police reports.

Detectives later said they believe Mendoza was killed in the apartment after an argument involving several people at a party there. The shooting, investigators said, was believed to be gang-related. Evidence presented at in court indicates the shot that killed Mendoza was fired at close range.