Vincent Chacon is Allegedly Killed by a Cellmate in Denver City Jail Colorado
Vincent Chacon was an inmate in Denver City Jail, and, according to his mother, Angela Hernandez, he was soon to be released. But instead of being released, a new cellmate was placed with Mr. Chacon and allegedly killed him on June 30, 2025.
Thirty-three-year-old Ricky Lee Roybal-Smith has prior arrests for domestic violence and assault, whereas, according to Ms. Hernandez, her son was being held on a traffic charge. Mr. Roybal-Smith has allegedly been charged with choking Mr. Chacon to death, and the tragic incident is being investigated as a homicide. In addition, Mr. Roybal-Smith is under suspicion as a person of interest in two deadly stabbings in Aurora, Colorado, though there is no evidence that jail personnel were aware of that possibility when he was initially booked into the jail.
The alleged murder of Mr. Chacon happened within three hours of Mr. Roybal-Smith’s arrival in the shared cell. The grieving family is openly asking why their loved one was placed with a violent cellmate.
The address of Downtown Denver Detention Center is 490 W Colfax Ave, Denver, CO 80204. The municipal jail’s bed capacity is 200.
Brief Stays in U.S. County and Municipal Jails Often End in Tragic Inmate Deaths
It is not difficult to grasp what a dangerous situation it is that inmates in local jails often die in jail custody within hours, days, or weeks of their initial incarceration. To keep this deadly reality in perspective, anyone might end up in jail as a result of being purposefully or accidentally accused of a crime they did not commit. It is imperative that jails are held accountable and that preventable deaths are avoided at all costs, whether individuals are innocent or guilty of their charges.
The rate of suicide is significantly greater in county and city jails than in the outside world. Year after year, suicide is the leading cause of death in local jails. Tragic stories about inmates who die from suicide, though the risk was known, are all too common. Other tragic deaths occur because inmates did not receive their prescription medications. The following are summaries of two true-life incidents, both of which happened to have occurred in Harris County Jail in Houston, Texas:
- An inmate with charges known for making suicide a major risk was booked into Harris County Jail on March 21, 2023, at 11:10 a.m. He was then immediately taken to a restroom stall on another floor, where he was left alone for 88 minutes. It was then discovered that the 41-year-old man used a drawstring from his jacket to hang himself by his neck and genitals. The man was pronounced deceased within five hours of his incarceration.
- Twenty-eight-year-old Matthew Ryan Shelton turned himself in at Harris County Jail on a DWI charge on March 22, 2022. Mr. Shelton was a diabetic, and documentation at the jail showed that the insulin he required was reviewed, ordered, and provided while he went through intake. However, once the inmate was housed, the insulin was not reviewed, ordered, or provided for his use.
- Mr. Shelton was pronounced deceased just five days later, on March 27. An autopsy found that Mr. Shelton died of diabetic ketoacidosis. It is widely recognized that diabetic individuals must have their required insulin, or the deadly condition diabetic ketoacidosis could occur.
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