Published on January 16, 2026
GREELEY, Colo. (Weld County D.A.) – A 21-year-old woman from Texas has been sentenced in connection with the death of her newborn daughter in Weld County during the summer of 2022.
Friday morning, Weld County District Court Judge Audrey Galloway sentenced Leiyla Cepeda to 35 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections.
Cepeda pleaded guilty in October of last year, to one count of second-degree murder in the death of her newborn daughter, Aurora.
The case began in June 2022 when officers responded to a report of a deceased female infant found inside a home in Nunn.
Cepeda was visiting family in Weld County when she gave birth to her daughter, before immediately killing her. The infant had more than 70 stab wounds to her chest and abdomen from cuticle scissors.
“This is as serious as it gets – it’s a different level of violence,” Deputy District Attorney Daniel Skelton said during Friday’s sentencing hearing. “The one person who was supposed to love this baby and protect her ended up silencing her forever.”
Cepeda was two days shy of her 18th birthday at the time of the murder and was charged as an adult.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, Cepeda faced a sentence ranging from 30 to 48 years in prison.
In addition to DDA Daniel Skelton, Chief Deputy District Attorney Arynn Clark also prosecuted this case.