Naman Shrestha
When a mother and business owner named Irene Trujillo suddenly went missing in April 2003, the entire community of Montrose, Colorado, was concerned about her well-being while the police searched for her. Her loved ones’ worst nightmare came true when her remains were found. All the intricate details of the case and the complicated investigation that followed are explored in the episode titled ‘Love on the Rocks’ of Investigation Discovery’s ‘Murder In The Heartland,’ which also features exclusive and emotional interviews with Irene’s loved ones and the officials linked to the investigation.
Irene Trujillo’s Remains Were Found at Her Place of Business in Montrose
Born on September 5, 1955, in Newfoundland and Labrador, Irene Teresa Sungaila Trujillo suffered her first loss at the tender age of two as she lost her mother to a kidney disease. Since then, her father, Richard Sungaila, who was a retired Arapahoe County sheriff’s deputy, took care of her and her brother, Rick Sungaila. The Sungaila family soon moved to Colorado, where Irene attended Littleton High School. While growing up, she developed several hobbies, such as bicycling, fishing, water skiing, and boating. Described as “full of life” by her father, she had the ability to light up even the dullest of rooms by her mere presence.
After coming of age, Irene met Rick Hugh Trujillo and felt a romantic connection with him. The couple dated for a while before tying the knot and welcoming three adorable girls into the world — Shayla, Felichia, and Marissa. While living in Montrose, Colorado, the couple established a decorative rock business called Montrose Stone, partnering with Rick’s childhood friend, Robert Martinez. While their business took off and was doing well, the same could not be said of their marriage, as they frequently got into arguments and fights. By the time Marissa was eight years old, Irene and Rick had separated and gotten into a heated custody battle over their daughters. She only got the kids on the weekends while her estranged husband got their full-time custody during the entire week. After the separation, Rick started another business and let Irene operate Montrose Stone.
In the midst of the divorce proceedings, she was reportedly also battling alcoholism. As per her father’s accounts, she had been able to stay off liquor for one year or so, when on the afternoon of April 9, 2003, she went missing all of a sudden. When she was nowhere to be found, her estranged husband reported her missing on April 12. While the search was ongoing, a burglary took place at her place of residence, from where her electronic items were stolen, on May 12. On June 16, her remains were found burned and buried in a shallow grave outside her business, Montrose Stone, on Spring Creek Mesa, by Rick and Robert. The autopsy revealed that she died of a fatal gunshot wound to her head. Without wasting any time, the police launched a homicide investigation.
Irene Trujillo Was Killed by One of Her Employees
While investigating the homicide of Irene Trujillo, the authorities dug deeper into her life and the days prior to her demise. They learned that the 47-year-old woman was last seen with one of her employees, Lionel Lopez, on April 9, 2003, in a Wal-Mart store in Montrose. Upon interviewing him, he claimed that he had picked her up from Orange Road and then driven her home, keeping their visit to Wal-Mart a secret from them. In the second interview, he admitted to stopping at Wal-Mart before he dropped her off at her house. While at the store, she reportedly met a friend, whom she told that she owed Lionel some money and was buying ammunition for him.
As the detectives dug deeper, they also learned that Lionel and Irene had gotten into a heated argument a few days prior to her disappearance. On top of that, he also rented a 270mm rifle from his friend by claiming that he needed it for a hunting trip in Montana. A few days after Irene vanished, he returned the rifle to its owner. However, by February 4, 2004, Lionel wasn’t the only suspect the police had been looking at. They also suspected her husband, Rick, of being responsible for her murder. Later, it turned out that Lionel was responsible for carrying out the burglary at Irene’s property after her death.
Lionel was charged with burglary and convicted of the same. In late 2004, one of his colleagues, Greg Haines, claimed that Lionel had confessed to killing Irene multiple times. Unfortunately, the informant later passed away before he could testify the same in court. The investigators concluded that Lionel shot her in the head with the borrowed rifle and transported her remains to the rock quarry, where he buried them in a shallow grave. On June 6, 2006, he was officially indicted on first and second-degree murder charges in connection with Irene’s horrific demise.
Lionel Lopez is Supposedly Living Away From the Limelight in Mexico
Nearly three years later, on March 26, 2009, Lionel Lopez accepted an Alford plea for two counts of accessory to first-degree murder in the 2003 homicide of Irene Trujillo and avoided trial. Although he was sentenced to 10 years in prison, the case was left open-ended due to the plea deal. After the sentencing, her estranged husband, Rick, stated, “He (Lopez) pleaded to accessory to murder. It’s a good thing. It’s good for the family. We’ll just see how it comes out here, soon.” Over the years, he was also suspected of hiring Lionel to carry out the killing. The mystery deepened when Rick passed away in 2015. After five years of prison time, Lionel was released and then deported to Mexico. As of today, his whereabouts are not public knowledge as he seemingly leads a private life in Mexico.
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