Woman files lawsuit over son's gunshot death in Santa Fe

Apr. 5—The mother of a man who died of a gunshot wound in a parked car at Sage Inn is suing the Santa Fe hotel and the man who was with her son when police say he fired the shot that caused his own death.

Regina Ragonese said in an interview police treated her son's death in August 2021 as a suicide, but she doesn't believe Zachary Coskren — whom she described as someone who loved life and lived it to the fullest — took his own life.

Rather, Ragonese contends Coskren was shot either "accidentally or intentionally" by a man he had just met, according to her lawsuit filed late last month in state District Court. The pair had spent time together in the bar at the Sage Inn, where Coskren, 31, of Denver was staying for a work trip. Both men were overserved at the bar, Ragonese's complaint alleges, and had gone to Coskren's car to smoke marijuana.

A police report on Coskren's death details a conversation between him and Timothy Sayler, recorded by a device in Coskren's car. Much of the conversation, cited as a reason police classified the death as a suicide, centers on Coskren's gun.

Ragonese said evidence she has gathered since her son's death leads her to believe the shooting was intentional.

"I believe my son was murdered," she said. "He certainly didn't commit suicide ... and why there was not an arrest is still to be determined."

Ragonese said she initially had a hard time getting information from the Santa Fe Police Department. After finally talking to "higher-ups," she added, she came away with the impression "this has been a cover-up."

"We do not believe this was a suicide at all," said Ragonese's attorney, Jason Bowles. "We have some very serious questions about the case and investigation and hope law enforcement will take another determined look at this to find the truth."

Bowles added, "There was a police response, but in our opinion it was absolutely inadequate. We're not exactly sure what happened there or why it wasn't vigorously pursued."

Ragonese flew to Santa Fe from the East Coast to meet with officials from the First Judicial District Attorney's Office more than a year ago, she said, "and they've done nothing but fluff me."

She has since hired a private investigator to look into the circumstances surrounding her son's death and said she filed the lawsuit as a result of what she learned.

Her complaint, alleging wrongful death and dram shop liability, seeks an unspecified amount of damages from the Sage Inn and Sayler.

The New Mexican's attempts to contact Sayler were unsuccessful. An attorney listed as his representative in a police report did not respond to a message seeking comment for this story.

Representatives from the Sage Inn could not be reached for comment.

The lawsuit says Ragonese has had several email exchanges with the District Attorney's Office about the possibility of more investigation into her son's death. She received one email saying the "Department of Public Safety will no longer assist in this matter," according to the lawsuit.

A spokesman for the District Attorney's Office said the case is "still pending law enforcement review."

Investigators with the office "have followed up with the investigator hired by the decedent's family and have also sought opinions from our law enforcement partners," spokesman Nathan Lederman wrote in an email.

However, Santa Fe Police Capt. Aaron Ortiz said the case was closed "and ruled a suicide by both us and [the state Office of the Medical Investigator]."

Ortiz in an interview Friday said the agency spent "an exorbitant amount of hours" investigating the case before determining the death was a suicide, based partly on the recorded conversation between the two men prior to the shooting.

Coskren was in Santa Fe with a party rental company, setting up for a wedding, and was staying at the Sage Inn on Aug. 13, 2021, according to the lawsuit and police reports.

Ragonese said Sayler was a stranger to her son before that night. Her complaint says surveillance video shows them eating, drinking and talking together at the hotel's Social Kitchen + Bar.

They also played chess at the bar, according to police reports.

One report says video shows Coskren had six double shots of alcohol and one beer between 7 and 10:30 p.m., and Sayler — who arrived around 8:40 p.m. — had about six shots, three of which appeared to be doubles.

At one point, the pair went to Coskren's vehicle to "smoke weed," the lawsuit says.

Sayler would later tell police that when Coskren opened the glove box to get a baggie of marijuana, he saw a firearm.

"He recalled looking at the firearm, but could not remember if [Coskren] had unloaded the firearm or not," a police report says.

Coskren had an audio/video recording device set up in his 2017 black Dodge Challenger, according to a report. Although the device captured video that showed only the dashboard, it recorded audio of the men's conversation.

"At one point you can hear a firearm being racked and the glove box being closed," the report says. "You then hear the glove box open and ... a moment later, [Sayler] asked if he can 'touch it.' [Coskren] agrees and stated, 'Yeah, let me make sure it's not loaded.' ... You then hear a firearm being racked multiple times (indicating the firearm is empty).

"[Coskren] then jokingly makes the comment, 'If you want to kill me it's alright, my sisters have a million dollars in my name," the report says.

Sayler replied: "Nah, I'm not trying to kill you."

The two men continued talking about the gun, the report says, and Coskren showed Sayler there was no serial number on it. He said he built the firearm.

"Both ... then make jokes about conspiracy theories and the government," the report says. "After a few minutes, it appears the firearm was put back in the glove box."

Another report on the conversation says Coskren "makes several comments, joking about being killed."

The men returned to the bar, where they had more drinks, and went back to Coskren's car about an hour later, Ragonese's lawsuit says.

Sayler told police Coskren then handed him the firearm and asked if it was "safe," according to the lawsuit. Sayler said "yes," he told police — adding he handed the gun back to Coskren, who "put the firearm to his head and pulled the trigger."

A police report says Sayler is shown on surveillance video frantically crawling out of the vehicle's window and running toward the front of the hotel, telling staff to call 911.

Officers and paramedics arrived and began rendering aid to Coskren, who was still breathing, the lawsuit says. He was taken to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center and later airlifted to University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque but died that night.

Sayler remained at the scene until officers arrived but "provided several inconsistent statements to responding authorities," the lawsuit says.

An officer wrote in a report Sayler was "extremely upset and was crying," and requested a lawyer. "During the time I spoke with [Sayler] I noticed he was intoxicated, due to his slurred speech, and his blood shot watery eyes," the report says.

The state Office of the Medical Investigator found Coskren had a "contact wound" and burn marks on his head, which appeared to be from the muzzle of a gun, and his right hand and fingers had blood spatter, indicating he was holding the firearm when it was discharged, a police report says.

But the lawsuit disputes the death was self-inflicted. "Forensics do not support the autopsy determination of suicide," it says.