Andrew Jacobs, 34, was sentenced on Tuesday, November 14, 2023 to 85 years in prison for a series of violent crimes which included murder, multiple carjackings and two home invasions. During his 2-hour crime spree back on November 10, 2021, the defendant claimed he was high on methamphetamine and fentanyl.
Timeline:
3:21 p.m.: Jacobs attempted to rob a woman in her garage in the 14000 block of E. Idaho Drive. Jacobs stole her purse and fired shots into her garage before running away. His attempt to steal her car was unsuccessful.
3:29 p.m.: Approximately 8 minutes later, Jacobs approached Carlos Julio Albarracin, 34, and his 6-year-old son at an apartment complex in the 14000 block of E. Iowa Drive, about a quarter of a mile away from the first attempted carjacking scene. The father and son were inside their truck when Jacobs shattered the driver’s side window, shot the father at point blank range, and stole the vehicle. The child was able to escape before Jacobs drove off. The boy’s father died as a result of his injuries while protecting his child.
A few minutes later, Jacobs dumped the stolen pickup truck and broke into a home in the 1200 block of S. Memphis Street, about 2 miles away from where it was stolen. The homeowner reported being pistol whipped before Jacobs ran away.
3:32 p.m.: Down the same street on South Lewiston Way, Jacobs broke into another home and forced the homeowner to hand over the keys to her Acura SUV. Jacobs drove off with the SUV before abandoning it 1.5 miles away in the 15500 block of E. Center Avenue.
3:39 p.m.: Jacobs robbed another victim about half a mile away at gunpoint and stole their Subaru sedan. This stolen car was taken in the 400 block of South Chambers and was found abandoned 1 mile down the road in the 400 block of North Chambers Rd.
3:45 p.m.: After dumping the Subaru, Jacobs stole a driver’s KIA SUV at gunpoint about half a mile away in the 15200 block of E. 6th Avenue. This vehicle was later dumped and recovered in the area of E. 38th Avenue and North Chambers Rd—about 3 miles from where it was reported stolen.
3:55 p.m.: Police responded to another attempted carjacking, this time at a gas station in the 3700 block of N. Chambers Road—about a quarter of a mile away from where the stolen KIA was found. In this case, the woman fought back. As the defendant got into the driver’s side of her car, she yanked him out. The victim then said the carjacker left on foot and watched him go across the street to another gas station.
A few moments later, the attempted carjacking victim witnessed the same suspect stealing a red Chevrolet SUV. That SUV was found abandoned down the street at Chambers and Maxwell, about 2 miles away from where the car was originally stolen.
4:04 p.m.: At the scene where the previous Chevrolet SUV was dumped, police responded to another carjacking call. This time, the victim reported a man pulled a gun on her in her driveway and demanded the keys to her Hyundai SUV. She complied and the suspect drove off with her vehicle. This SUV was later found abandoned in the 5500 block of N. Jasper Street, about 1 mile from where it was stolen. While officers were investigating this carjacking, another witness came up to police and said someone had just attempted to carjack his son’s Chevrolet Silverado truck, but was unsuccessful.
4:09 p.m.: Officers responded to another armed carjacking, this time involving a Ford F-450 truck that was stolen in the 15600 block of E. Randolph—about 1 mile from the last scene. The truck crashed about 3 miles away near 56th Avenue and Pena Boulevard. A witness who was stopped due to the crash became the next victim. Witnesses say after crashing the truck, he got into another diver’s Nissan SUV and took off. Jacobs eventually crashed this SUV near 56th Avenue and E-470. Jacobs was taken to the hospital with serious injuries as a result of the collision prior to being booked into jail.
Jacobs plead guilty to the following offenses:
Second Degree Murder (Class 2 Felony)
Violent Crime Causing Death or Serious Bodily Injury (Sentence Enhancer)
Aggravated Robbery with a Deadly Weapon (Class 3 Felony)
*2 counts
Violent Crime-Use of a Weapon (Sentence Enhancer)
*2 counts
“This was a complicated investigation with multiple crimes committed against a number of victims with numerous scenes throughout Aurora and Denver,” Aurora Major Crime Homicide Unit Lt. Sean Mitchell said. “The plea agreement struck with the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office and today’s sentencing are a direct result of the dedication of the lead detective, who was committed to ensuring the victims received justice in this case, especially a young boy who tragically lost his father in a senseless string of crimes.”
Jacobs was formally sentenced Tuesday afternoon to 85 years in the Department of Corrections.
“For two hours, this defendant’s violent crime spree terrorized innocent people in Aurora and Denver,” Senior Chief Deputy DA Darcy Kofol said. “Killing an innocent father, who was driving his six-year-old child home from school, in front of his young son over a vehicle is inexcusable. The defendant’s reckless and selfish actions warrant this lengthy sentence behind bars.”
Surveillance video and multiple witnesses helped investigators identify Jacobs as the sole suspect in this crime spree.
“This is one of the most egregious crime sprees my team has prosecuted,” District Attorney John Kellner said. “I can’t imagine the trauma this young child now lives with after witnessing his father’s killing. The decision to plead this case was made to spare this child the grief of having to testify in court.”
In total, there were dozens of witnesses, including more than 100 officers from various agencies who were assigned to investigate this string of crimes.
“While no sentence will ever bring back a child’s father or take back the harm this defendant caused to so many innocent people, I hope everyone impacted by this case can find some sense of closure knowing this defendant will not be able to victimize anyone else in the foreseeable future,” Deputy District Attorney Taylor McCreary said.
