Man sentenced to 70 years in 2021 kidnapping and murder in Pueblo

Ashley Eberhardt
·2 min read

(PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo.) — A Pueblo man has been sentenced to 70 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections (CDOC) for the 2021 kidnapping and murder of a man whose body was found in a remote area of eastern Pueblo County.

33-year-old Nicholas Tumblin was sentenced on Thursday, April 11, after he pled guilty to Second Degree Murder and First Degree Kidnapping in the homicide of Raymond Ray Jr., whose body was discovered Aug. 17, 2021. Ray was reported missing in July 2021 by family, and his body was found by someone working in an area near 62nd Lane in eastern Pueblo County a month later.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Suspect of two homicides arrested by PCSO

Tumblin was already in custody on separate murder charges when he was charged in the death of Ray, and was awaiting trial in the September 2021 shooting death of 36-year-old Eric Trujillo. Tumblin was taken into custody in October 2021 by U.S. Marshals in New Mexico in the Trujillo murder.

Nicholas Tumblin
Courtesy: Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office

After his guilty plea in the murder of Ray, Tumblin was sentenced to 44 years for Ray’s murder and an additional 16 years for his kidnapping, as well as another 10 years for a contraband possession charge he picked up while incarcerated in the Pueblo County Jail. Tumblin also received six years in the CDOC after pleading guilty to manslaughter in the death of Trujillo.

The six-year sentence will run concurrent to the 70-year sentence, PCSO said.

“Our detectives did a great job on this case and although it has taken more than two and a half years to get to this day, we hope this sentence offers a measure of justice to the victim’s family and our community,” said Pueblo County Sheriff David J. Lucero. “I commend the detectives for the work they did and for staying persistent and dedicated to bringing this case to closure.”

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX21 News Colorado.