Murder suspects sentenced

Nine suspects have entered pleas and been sentenced in connection with a kidnapping and murder that stretched from its beginnings near Atlanta, to Cherry Log, to Mexico and back to a Gilmer County courtroom.

Two of the suspects will serve life sentences while the other seven were sentenced to a total of 180 years with 82 to be served behind bars.

The suspects, their pleas, and sentences were, according to a joint statement by the Appalachian Judicial Circuit District Attorney B. Alison Sosebee and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation;

•Oscar Manuel Garcia pled guilty to 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 and was sentenced to life in prison;

•Juan Ayala-Rodriguez pled guilty to Kidnapping, Concealing Death of Another, Aggravated Battery; and Violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act and was sentenced to life in prison;

•Juan Antonio Vega pled guilty to Kidnapping, Concealing Death of Another, Aggravated Battery; and Violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act and was sentenced to 70 years, serve 30 in the Georgia state prison system;

•Megan Alyssa Colone pled guilty to Violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act and was sentenced to 20 years serve 18 in the

•Eva Galicia Martinez pled guilty to Violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act and was sentenced to 20 years serve 13 in the Georgia state prison system.

•Terri Amanda Garner pled guilty to Violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act and was sentenced to 20 years serve three;

•Patrick Harvard pled guilty to Violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act and was sentenced to 15 years serve five:

•Calvin Harvard pled guilty to Violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act and was sentenced to 15 years serve seven; and,

•Shawn Callaway pled guilty to the Violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act and was sentenced to 20 years serve six.

These nine, in addition to three other suspects who remain at large, were accused of the kidnapping, torture, and murder of Rossano Delgado, 37, before dismembering and burning her body.

Delgado was reported missing from her home in Barrow County April 16, 2021. She was last seen in DeKalb County the same day.

At approximately 7 a.m. April 21, 2021, the Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office performed a welfare check at a residence in Cherry Log, and discovered Delgado’s remains. They called the GBI for assistance.

According to the statement from Sosebee and the GBI, the suspects, all members of a drug trafficking organization, were involved in luring Delgado to the Plaza Fiesta Shopping Mall in DeKalb County April 16, 2021.

She was bound and taken to a location in Clayton County before being taken to a rental cabin in the Cherry Log area of Gilmer County. The cabin had been rented through an online vacation rental company with a stolen identity.

There, suspects are accused of torturing and eventually killing Delgado before dismembering and burning her body.

Afterwards, associates of the drug trafficking organization secured transportation and helped the suspects flee to Mexico.

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 Durango, Mexico, and extradited to the United States. Other defendants were apprehended at various times during the investigation.

The three suspects still hunted in the case are:

•Mario Alberto Barbosa-Juarez, for the offenses of Malice Murder; Felony 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 (2 counts);

•Carolina Jazmin Rodriguez Ramirez, for the offenses of Felony Murder; Kidnapping; and Violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (2 counts); and,

•Maria Katherine Encarnacion, for the offenses of Felony Murder; Kidnapping; and Violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (2 counts).

Sosebee said following the pleas, “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. 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,” Sosebee said.

A trial was set to begin in Gilmer County Superior Court May 1, but several of the defendants entered their pleas prior to its start.