Man convicted of stabbing his girlfriend in the throat sentenced to 25 years

BRIGHTON | An Aurora man convicted of the lurid 2020 murder of his girlfriend while under the influence of hallucinogenics has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Marcos Gutierrez, 24, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Airica Beaty, 20.

“This was a horrific and gruesome crime,” 17th Judicial District Attorney Brian Mason said in a statement. “Our hearts go out to the victim and her family. I hope this sentence today will give them some measure of closure and peace.”

Officials asked for first-degree murder charges after Gutierrez stabbed and cut Beaty’s throat while the couple were inside a north Aurora apartment April 11, 2020.

Gutierrez pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in June 2022.

Aurora police found Beaty, 20, with multiple stab wounds inside the apartment. She was pronounced dead at a local hospital about half an hour later. 

Beaty graduated from Arvada High School and was studying at Johnson & Wales University, according to information posted on Facebook.

Witnesses later told detectives that Beaty and Gutierrez had taken acid, possibly LSD, together earlier in the evening, according to court documents. The same witnesses said Gutierrez eventually retrieved an AR-15 rifle and “started making statements that he wanted to shoot himself and die,” according to an arrest affidavit obtained by The Sentinel.

The witnesses, a pair of men who were friends with both Beaty and Gutierrez, managed to wrestle the gun away from Gutierrez, who then began “talking incoherently about stabbing someone,” according to detectives. The men then attempted to hide all of the knives in the kitchen.

“(Gutierrez) came up behind Beaty and slit her throat with the knife,” according to the affidavit.

One witness reportedly heard Beaty say: “Why did you do that, what did you do,” as she began to choke on blood.

First responders found Gutierrez naked and covered in blood on the kitchen floor of the apartment, detectives wrote. He refused to speak with Aurora police and fire personnel, only saying “F*** you pigs,” according to the affidavit.

Deputy District Attorney Ashley Munoz and Chief Deputy District Attorney Ally Baber were lead prosecutors for the case, officials said.