On April 17, 2017, defendant Gil Gaxiola was sentenced in Cochise County to 76 years in prison after having been convicted of attempted first degree murder of a National Park Service employee. He was also convicted of armed robbery, three counts of aggravated assault, kidnapping and theft of means of transportation from an incident that occurred at Chiricahua National Monument in 2013.
On August 28, 2013, Karen Gonzales, an employee at Chiricahua National Monument, was assaulted by Gaxiola who used a large rock to inflict serious and life threatening injuries. Gonzales was air lifted to and hospitalized at the University Medical Center in Tucson after the assault. Gonzales’s assigned work vehicle was also taken from the scene by the suspect and later recovered in Douglas, AZ.
Sheriff Mark Dannels said, “This was a cowardly act perpetrated on a member of one of our Public Safety partners by a ruthless man without a conscience. We are fortunate to have Mrs. Gonzales with us still and she is continuing her recovery from the injuries she sustained at the hands of this criminal. The countless hours put in and personal sacrafices made by members of the Sheriff’s Office and County Attorney are what made the conviction possible. We hope that this case sends a message to anyone else who may contemplate a similar crime to be certain we will not rest until justice is served. I am so proud of everyone who worked toward the successful adjudication for this crime and I am honored to be your Sheriff.”
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