Bartender Attacker Found Guilty Of Attempted 1st Degree Murder
EAGLE, Colo. (CBS4)- After watching horrific video of an attack on a bartender in an Eagle bar last July, a jury found the attacker guilty of attempted first-degree murder on Wednesday. Jurors deliberated for four hours before reaching the verdict.
The bartender, who wishes to remain unnamed, was the only one working in Eagle's Brush Creek Saloon when she was attacked.
The security video shows her being beaten by Pedro Gonzalez, 34, the only patron in the bar at closing time, according to the district attorney.
Video of the attack released to CBS4 shows that the attack goes on for more than two minutes. The video is troubling to watch.
"She was fighting for her life," Eagle County Assistant District Attorney Heidi McCollum told CBS4 on Thursday.
Gonzalez claimed to not remember the entire attack and said he was drunk at the time.
The judge could sentence him to a maximum of 48 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for next month.
In the year since the attack, the community rallied together to raise more than $20,000 on a Go Fund Me page for the victim as she recovered from her injuries.
Matt Kroschel covers news throughout Colorado working from the CBS4 Mountain Newsroom. Send story ideas to mrkroschel@cbs.com and connect with him on Twitter @Matt_Kroschel.