Nine plead guilty in murder case

Nine defendants in a case that involved the murder of a woman in Gilmer County pled guilty to various charges prior to the start date of the Appalachian Superior Court trial.

Rossana Delgado, 37, of Barrow County, was abducted by associates of a drug trafficking organization (DTO) in April 2021. According to the Appalachian Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s office, members of this DTO associated together for the common purposes of illegally committing acts of violence and obtaining money and property through the sale of drugs and illegal controlled substances like methamphetamine.

Delgado, who worked as a taxi driver, was first lured to the Plaza Fiesta Shopping Mall in DeKalb County under the false pretenses of a shopping trip. She was then taken to a residence in DeKalb County, bound and transported to locations in Clayton and Gilmer County before arriving at a rental cabin in Cherry Log where she was tortured and killed. Her body was dismembered and burned thereafter, with evidence of the murder subsequently concealed or destroyed.

Several suspects fled to Mexico, but, in May 2021, Oscar Manuel Garcia, Megan Alyssa Colone and Juan Antonio Vega were apprehended in Reynosa, Mexico, and extradited to the United States. In June 2021, Juan Ayala-Rodriguez was apprehended in Mexico and extradited to the U.S.

Of the nine defendants who recently entered guilty pleas, two — Oscar Manuel Garcia and Juan Ayala-Rodriguez — were sentenced to life in prison.

Garcia pled guilty to malice murder, kidnapping, concealing the death of another, removal of body parts from the scene of death, aggravated battery and violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.

Ayala-Rodriguez pled guilty to kidnapping, concealing the death of another, aggravated battery and violation of the RICO Act.

The seven other defendants received lesser sentences.

Juan Antonio Vega pled guilty to kidnapping, concealing the death of another, aggravated battery and violation of the RICO Act and was sentenced to serve 30 years in the Georgia prison system.

Megan Alyssa Colone pled guilty to violation of the RICO Act and was sentenced to serve 18 years, while Eva Galicia Martinez also pled guilty to violation of the RICO Act and was sentenced to serve 13 years.

Defendants Terri Amanda Garner, Patrick Harvard, Calvin Harvard and Shawn Callaway all pled guilty to violating the RICO Act and will serve unspecified time in prison followed by probation.

Investigation of the case was conducted mainly by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), but numerous local, state and federal law enforcement agencies assisted throughout, noted the Appalachian DA’s office. Assisting agencies include the Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Marshals.

“I would like to thank all of the law enforcement agencies that were involved in the investigation of this case. 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,” said B. Alison Sosebee, district attorney for Gilmer, Pickens and Fannin County, in an official statement.

“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.”

As a special condition of sentencing, the defendants waived all post-conviction relief including appealing the guilty pleas and rights of habeas corpus, Sosebee noted. An additional provision banishes them from the Appalachian Judicial Circuit of Gilmer, Pickens and Fannin County.

None of the nine defendants were Gilmer County residents, Sosebee said. The cabin was booked online as a vacation rental, and the reservation was made using a stolen identity, according to the DA’s office.

The case remains open as three other defendants are still at large. They are Mario Alberto Barbosa-Juarez (wanted for malice murder, felony murder, kidnapping and other charges), Carolina Jazmin Rodriguez Ramirez (wanted for felony murder, kidnapping and other charges) and Maria Katherine Encarnacion (wanted for felony murder, kidnapping and other charges).

“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,” said Sosebee.

Anyone with information about the whereabouts of the three defendants still at large are asked to either call the GBI Tipline at 1-800-597-TIPS(8477), report the information online at GBI.Georgia.gov/submit-tips-online or use the See Something Send Something mobile app.

If you see any of these individuals, do not approach them; call 911 immediately, the GBI advised.