2 men sentenced in deaths of 3 in burned vehicle in Chilton County

Two men charged in the death of three people in Chilton County in 2021 have plead guilty to murder.

Chilton County District Attorney CJ Robinson said on July 2, 2021, the burned remains of three victims, 24-year-old Gabriel Alonzo Rios, 37-year-old Gilberto Munoz Cabrera and 36-year old Javier Quintero Gonzalez were found in an SUV in the woods near Chilton County Road 5014.

After the victims were identified, investigators determined that they had traveled to Alabama from Tennessee. Autopsies revealed that at least two of the victims had gunshot wounds before their bodies were burned.

In January 2022, Abraham Perez and Noel Esquivel were each charged with three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.

Robinson said both men were in the United States illegally and involved in drug trafficking. Both men pled guilty to murder which carried a 35 year sentence.

Circuit Judge Amanda Baxley sentenced Perez Friday to serve 32 years of the 35-year plea agreement. Esquivel was sentenced to serve the full 35 years in the Alabama Department of Corrections.