Edwin Murillo has been sentenced to serve the rest of his life behind bars after entering a plea of guilty for his part in the 2021 kidnapping, torture and murder of Rossana Delgado in Cherry Log.
Murillo entered his plea and was immediately sentenced to life in prison Friday, September 15, in Gilmer County Superior Court, according to a statement from B. Alison Sosebee, district attorney for the Appalachian Judicial Circuit.
Sosebee said Murillo pled guilty to Murder, Kidnapping and Violation of the Racketeer and Corrupt Organizations Act.
Murillo’s case had been scheduled for a jury trial to begin Monday, September 18.
Murillo had been brought to Gilmer County for the trial from the federal supermax prison at ADX Florence where he was serving time for Possession of Methamphetamine With Intent to Distribute. That sentence arose out of Murillo’s previous incarceration in the state prison system. Through his connection with a Mexican drug cartel, Murillo was the head of a drug trafficking organization (DTO) operating a prison broker system while an inmate of the system, Sosebee’s statement said.
In April 2021, associates of the DTO conspired to abduct Delgado, 37, from Barrow County, Georgia. That kidnapping ultimately occurred April 16, 2021, when she was lured to the Plaza Fiesta Shopping Mall in DeKalb County under the pretense of a shopping trip.
The victim was taken to a residence in DeKalb County where she was bound and subsequently taken to locations in Clayton and Gilmer counties over a period of several days.
Her kidnappers ultimately took her to a rental cabin in Cherry Log where she was tortured and killed and her body dismembered and burned, Sosebee said.
Additionally, members of the DTO secured transportation and helped other DTO members flee to Mexico after the killing. (See related story below).
Sosebee praised the Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office for their work with other law enforcement agencies to prepare the case against Murillo. She said, “I would like to commend Sheriff Stacy Nicholson and the members of his agency for the tremendous efforts they made to ensure the secure transport and confinement of defendant Murillo and for ensuring the safety of our community, our courthouse and those working in conjunction with the matter. I have a great appreciation for all those involved in the inter-agency collaboration with the Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office to provide security and transport including the Gilmer County Emergency Management Agency, Fannin County Sheriff’s Office, Pickens County Sheriff’s Office, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Marshals.”