Greeley homicide case brings life sentence, 32-year term

Stacy Rodriguez received life in prison without parole and Hosanna Varela a 32-year Department of Corrections sentence in a 2021 Greeley homicide case, the Greeley Police Department said in an Oct. 26 Facebook post.

Rodriguez was found guilty following a jury trial of first-degree murder, first-degree arson, tampering with a deceased human body and two counts of second-degree burglary, police said. She was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Varela pleaded guilty to first-degree arson, tampering with a deceased human body and being an accessory to a crime, police said. She was sentenced to 32 years in the Department of Corrections.

At approximately 5:45 a.m. Oct. 3, 2021, Greeley Police responded to a report of a house completely engulfed in flames in the 2400 block of 15th Ave Ct. First responders did not know whether the homeowner, 36-year-old Chris Dickerson, was inside. The Greeley Fire Department found Dickerson deceased inside his residence, police said. The coroner ruled his death a homicide and determined the fire was set to cover up the crime, police said.

An ALPR captured a Chevy Malibu at 35th Avenue and 25th Street just minutes after the suspects started the fire. Officers surveilled the registered owner’s address. Detectives identified Rodriguez, then 19, and Varela, then 23, as women matching the suspects’ descriptions. The two were taken into custody Nov. 11, 2021. ALPR technology was “a critical catalyst” in the investigation, providing detectives with a crucial early lead that significantly accelerated the identification of Rodriguez and Varela, Greeley police said.