Tag

first-degree murder

Life in prison for murderer who shot, killed Aurora man then dumped body

A convicted felon on probation who shot and killed an Aurora man then dumped the body near a construction site will spend the rest of his life in prison.

William Ardoin

Arapahoe District Court Judge Ryan Stuart sentenced William Ardoin, 35, to life in the Colorado Department of Corrections without possibility of parole for the murder of Erik Baker, who was 44.

“Here on Earth, the jury was your judge,” Stuart told Ardoin during sentencing. “You murdered Erik Baker, you shot him in the head. Your stripped him of his dignity and his clothes and left him in a ditch.”

“There is something dangerously wrong with our laws and justice system when a felon convicted four separate times, including for possessing a firearm as a felon, is yet again able to obtain a gun and shoot an innocent man in the head,” said District Attorney George Brauchler. “And then he discarded him like he was trash. To keep our community safe, there is only one place for dangerous, repeat felons: prison. It is a tragedy that it has taken murder to keep this one there.”

On Jan. 1, 2018, Baker’s mother called police to say her son was missing and she feared he was dead. On Jan. 3, Baker’s body was found in a ditch near East 26th Avenue and Himalaya Road. He had been shot in the head.

The Aurora Police investigation over the next six months showed that Baker and Ardoin knew each other and had done business together, not always amicably. On Dec. 31, a friend drove Baker to Ardoin’s home on Kenton Street in Aurora. Two witnesses told police that as soon as Ardoin opened the door to Baker, Ardoin shot Baker in the head. There was no argument, struggle or words exchanged.

Ardoin enlisted family members and extended family in the ensuing cover-up and attempt to hide the body. Six people were charged with helping him.

In addition to first-degree murder, the Arapahoe County jury found Ardoin guilty Sept. 25 of tampering with a deceased body and tampering with evidence. On Oct. 3, Stuart sentenced Ardoin to an additional 12 years on those counts.

Ardoin was on probation for being a previous offender in possession of a weapon at the time of Baker’s murder.

Ardoin “has a complete lack of remorse and compassion,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Andrew Steers said during sentencing. “Erik was thrown into a ditch like a bag of trash … (Ardoin) just came out of his house that night with the sole intent of depriving Erik Baker of his life.”

Steers prosecuted the case with Senior Deputy District Attorney Darcy Kofol.

Highlands Ranch mom who killed newborn guilty of murder

A Highlands Ranch woman who killed her newborn daughter will spend the rest of her life in prison after a Douglas County jury found her guilty of first-degree murder of a child under 12 by a person in a position of trust.

Camille Wasinger-Konrad

The jury found Camille Wasinger-Konrad, 25, guilty on all three counts: first-degree murder after deliberation; tampering with physical evidence; and the position-of-trust murder charge.

“Of all the many emotions of the magical first moments of a baby’s life, of all the many tender moments a mother shared in that first embrace with a completely helpless and fragile life, smothering a newborn and pitching its body over a fence in the cold of January is impossible to understand,” said District Attorney George Brauchler. “Who are we as a people that someone among us has such disregard for the most innocent of lives — a life they helped created? Disgusting.”

“It’s not only justice for the infant child but also a statement for the Douglas County community in how strongly we believe in the criminal justice system. We are glad to be a part of bringing this person to justice,” said Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock. “I continue to be proud of the men and women of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and appreciate the hours the detectives on this case spent investigating it. We are grateful for the partnership we have with the district attorney’s office that brings results such as this one.”

Wasinger-Konrad was renting a room in the home of a Highlands Ranch family. Early in the morning of Jan. 2, 2018, she gave birth to a girl in her bedroom. She covered the baby’s mouth and nose to stop her from crying so as not to awaken others. She then carried the newborn downstairs to the back deck. She threw the baby into the backyard of a neighbor.

The neighbor found the dead child at 9:48 p.m. that night and called the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.

“That little girl was on that deck for 948 minutes,” Deputy District Attorney Valerie Brewster told the jury. “This defendant went about her day, knowing her unnamed daughter was there, helpless. She thought and made that choice.”

Chief Deputy District Attorney Christopher Gallo gave the closing arguments.

“This tiny baby was smothered by her mother, flung over a neighbor’s fence and left to die by the only human she had ever known,” Gallo told the jury. “This defendant hurled her newborn 11 feet over an 8-foot fence, knowingly consigning her to her death. This little girl died in the cold without the dignity of even a name.”

Sentencing is set for Nov. 15 at 3 p.m.. The mandatory sentence for Murder 1 is life in prison without possibility of parole.

Note: Since 2000, Colorado has had a Safe Haven Law. A parent can hand over a newborn, up to 72 hours old, to an employee at any fire station or hospital with no questions asked.

Life plus 166 years for man who killed Aurora woman, shot boyfriend

Arapahoe County District Court Judge Andrew Baum has sentenced a man to life plus 166 years in prison for killing an Aurora woman and shooting her boyfriend so he could rob them.

Shaun R. Davis

Shaun R. Davis, 33, had been out of prison six months after serving time for aggravated robbery when he shot Aliyah Bonicelli in the back of the head on April 8, 2018. She was 23 years old and had a young daughter. Davis shot Bonicelli’s boyfriend in the face, but the boyfriend survived.

“A multiple convicted felon with a gun who has twice before been paroled early from his well-deserved sentence once again proves that the grave risks to the community of paroling repeat, violent offenders are unjustifiable. Without question, had this monster served his full sentence for his past felonies, this innocent mother would still be alive,” said District Attorney George Brauchler. “The public should ask why this happened and how will we prevent it from happening again. Over a mere $3,000, this career criminal was willing to murder two people. He listened cold-heartedly to a mother plead for her life, then he assaulted her before putting a bullet in her head. No amount of time in prison is enough for such a monster.”

On May 24, 2019, an Arapahoe County jury found Davis guilty of first-degree murder after deliberation, attempted first-degree murder after deliberation, aggravated robbery, first-degree assault and possession of a weapon by a previous offender.

Judge Baum found Davis to be a habitual offender. The mandatory sentence for first-degree murder is life in prison without possibility of parole. On Aug. 2, Baum sentenced Davis to life plus an additional 166 years for the other counts.

“This is one of the most brutal homicides I have seen,” Judge Baum said from the bench during sentencing. “This is by far the most unnecessary homicide I have seen. There was no need for Ms. Bonicelli to lose her life.”

Aurora Police got the call April 8, 2018, to respond to University of Colorado Hospital, where personnel were treating two people with gunshot wounds.

Officers spoke with the boyfriend. He told police he and Bonicelli were giving “Shaun” a ride in her car when Shaun pulled out a gun and shot the boyfriend in the face. The boyfriend, who was in the front passenger seat, played dead. When Davis asked Bonicelli to check her boyfriend for a pulse, she told Davis he was already dead.

The boyfriend told police he heard Bonicelli tell Davis she was a mother. She pleaded for her life.
Davis pistol-whipped Bonicelli, then he shot her in the back of the head.

When Davis fled, the boyfriend drove himself and Bonicelli to the hospital, where she died.

The boyfriend told officers he was carrying more than $3,000 in cash, which was missing.

Detectives were able to piece together “Shaun’s” identity. He was arrested April 11, 2018.

Family and friends of Bonicelli were in the courtroom for sentencing, as they were during earlier proceedings and the trial. Several spoke to the judge.

Aliyah was “ripped from us – from her mother and her daughter,” a friend said through tears. “Her family will never see any of her dreams come to fruition because of the devilish act of this man who executed her.

“How can you forgive the devil? Please give him the max that you can.”

Senior Deputy District Attorney Laura Wilson also asked the judge for the maximum sentence.

“Crime is the defendant’s way of life. His actions show prison is the only place to put him forever,” said Wilson, who prosecuted the case with Deputy District Attorney Kyontha Nelson. “He is a cold-blooded killer. He stripped a mother’s life while she begged to keep it. He tried to execute two people over $3,000.”

Judge Baum agreed. Davis got the maximum sentence under the law.

Felon gets life in prison for murder in Aurora apartment

A convicted felon was sentenced Monday to life in prison for killing a 57-year-old woman in her Aurora home in 2017.

Terrence Terell Straughter

Terrence Terell Straughter, 51, of Aurora was found guilty July 31 of first-degree murder in the death of Dana Sems. Sems’ son found her battered body buried under a pile of clothes in her bedroom.

“This trusting, gentle woman was violently murdered by a man she had befriended. She was likely unaware that this monster had a history of attacking women and had only recently been released from prison,” said District Attorney George Brauchler. “He has proven that he is immune to rehabilitative efforts. The only way to keep the community safe is to keep him locked up forever, and that is precisely what the law requires. We will continue to hold those accountable who visit violence upon the innocent.”

Straughter served eight years in prison on a domestic violence assault and had been out less than 6 months when mutual acquaintances took him to Sems’ apartment on South Sable Boulevard on Dec. 11, 2017. Others who were there reported that Sems and Straughter argued.

Sems had a seizure disorder. The morning of Dec. 12, 2017, her medical home alarm company was unable to contact her. Ultimately, her son went to check on her and found her body.

Aurora police arrived and interviewed neighbors. Straughter was quickly identified as a suspect.

The coroner reported Sems had a broken neck, fractured ribs, and cuts on bruises on her head, face, neck and body. Straughter had tried to wash the body. He put a lotion-y substance and salt on the body in an attempt to destroy evidence.

His DNA was found on a 6¼-inch piece of bratwurst lodged in Sems’ throat.

The jury found Straughter guilty. The mandatory penalty for first-degree murder is life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Sems’ family and friends filled two rows of seats in the courtroom for sentencing.

“My daughter was 4 years old when her grandmother died,” Sems’ daughter told the judge. “She asks over and over what happened, and I can’t tell her the truth because it’s too hard,” the woman said through tears.
Sems’ brother-in-law also spoke.

“Our family cannot talk to Dana, cannot see her, except for her gravestone,” he said. “We cannot give her any support or embrace her because of what happened. I have never seen anything this heinous.”

Senior Deputy District Attorney Jake Adkins noted that in addition to the previous Colorado case, Straughter had a domestic violence assault conviction out of Tennessee in 2005.

“When this defendant commits acts of violence, he commits them against women,” said Adkins, who prosecuted the case with Deputy District Attorney Kevin Keyes. “With this sentence, this defendant has committed his last act of violence against anyone outside of a prison.”

Life in prison for Aurora murder of young mother

The man who shot and killed 28-year-old Kiara Livingston of Aurora will spend the rest of his life in prison for her murder.

Cleveland Grimes

Arapahoe County District Court Judge Darren Vahle last week sentenced Cleveland Vernon Grimes IV to life without parole. A jury on June 25 had found Grimes guilty of “Murder 1 after deliberation.”

“First-degree murder is multiple crimes wrapped into one,” Vahle told Grimes during sentencing. “You stole from her family their mother and sister. You robbed this woman of her future. It’s child abuse – her little kids will now suffer.”

Vahle added: “The reason society has fixed the penalty at life without parole is that we value nothing more than human life. The wanton, willful taking of human life demands the highest punishment.”

On April 14, 2018, Livingston was at an apartment on South Iola Street in Aurora, where she and Grimes got into an argument. She and Grimes were in a relationship, and Grimes was jealous and possessive.

Livingston got in her car to leave, and Grimes came out with a handgun, walked to the driver side of her car and shot her five times. When officers arrived, the car was still in reverse and the taillights were still on.

Livingston died at Aurora Medical Center. She left behind two young daughters.

Grimes fled the scene. Investigators determined his identity, and he was arrested about a week later.

“Another selfish, hateful, evil act of domestic violence has left two girls, 9 and 2, to go through life without the love, guidance, and protection of their mother,” said District Attorney George Brauchler. “Despite destroying three innocent lives with his homicidal rage, our laws allow our system to merely lock this wanton killer away for the duration of his life. We must continue to eradicate domestic violence from our community.”

Even though the sentence was mandatory under the law, Livingston’s family and friends came to the hearing to tell the judge how much she meant to them and how her loss hurt.

“Kiara was my friend – she was so genuine, so beautiful, so smart and so kind,” one young woman said. “This person took away a true jewel from us. He knew that, and he knew what he was doing to her kids.”

“I’m walking around with my heart shattered and in pieces,” Livingston’s aunt told the judge. “Grief is the final act of love. We will continue to keep her in our hearts and continue to love on her daughters. We see her when we look at them.”

Livingston’s mother spoke last. “Somebody made the decision to take my child rather than letting God make that decision,” she told the judge.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Laura Wilson prosecuted the case with Deputy District Attorney Casey Brown.

“This was a senseless killing of a wonderful human being,” Wilson said in her sentencing argument. “There was not a robbery or a clear reason – this seemed to stem from the defendant’s jealousy, anger and frustration at being disrespected in front of his friends by a woman.

“He got a gun and shot the victim five times. She was leaving. … He stopped her from doing that.”

Life plus 126 years for Thanksgiving Day murder in Aurora

A convicted Aurora felon has been sentenced to life in prison plus 126 years for a 2016 Thanksgiving Day murder.

Francisco Talamantes

Arapahoe County District Court Judge Ben Leutwyler on June 21 sentenced Francisco Martin Talamantes, 30, for the death of Eduardo Hernandez-Zuniga, who was 45 when he was shot to death.

On Jan. 15, 2019, a jury found Talamantes guilty of first-degree felony murder, which is a mandatory sentence of life without parole. Talamantes was also found guilty of first-degree burglary, for which he got 48 years in prison; aggravated motor vehicle theft, a 48-year sentence; second-degree arson, 24 years; and tampering with evidence, 6 years. Judge Leutwyler found Talamantes to be a habitual criminal and all counts will be served consecutively.

“There is only one place for a lawless person who leaves death and destruction in his wake: prison, and a lifetime of it,” said District Attorney George Brauchler. “Prison can protect us from further evil, but it cannot bring back what has been taken. The innocent victim had his life ended, because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. We must continue to endeavor to be a better people.”

On Nov. 24, 2016, Talamantes went to the Travelodge Motel on East Sixth Avenue looking to kill a man he said had “snitched.” Luis “Malo” Zamora-Ornelas, 20, and David Alberto “Pato” Garcia, 30, were with him.

Hernandez-Zuniga, 45, was in the motel room. He left to get a drink from the vending machine.

While he had stepped out, Talamantes, Garcia and Zamora-Orneleas came into the room with guns, looking for the man Talamantes called “snitch.” By all accounts, that man was never even in the room in the first place.

Hernandez-Zuniga knocked on the door to get back in, having purchased his soda. He got into an argument with the three intruders. Within seconds he had been shot, the bullet going through his arm and into his chest.

The shooters fled the scene and those in the room called 911. Hernandez-Zuniga was declared dead at University of Colorado Hospital.

Aurora police interviewed those in the room, obtained security camera video and developed suspect information about Talamantes, who was wanted on several outstanding warrants. Officers were sent to arrest him. They found him Nov. 25 in Denver in a stolen Hyundai Sonata that matched the description of the vehicle at the Travelodge.

Denver Police officers pursued the Hyundai, which was being followed by a Ford Edge.

Talamantes set the Hyundai on fire near West Cedar Avenue and South Tejon Street in Denver. He got in the Edge, which had also been stolen. Although to this point, his girlfriend was driving the Edge, Talamantes now took over the driver’s seat. Talamantes led the police on a high-speed, off-road pursuit, through portions of the Highline Canal bike path. Police chased the Edge to East Eighth Avenue and Canosa Street, where Talamantes was finally taken into custody, after he attempted to flee on foot.

The body of Zamora-Ornelas was found shot to death on front porch of 4353 Fillmore St. in Denver, shortly after the Travelodge shooting.

Garcia was arrested in Denver on Dec. 2, 2016. He was in a stolen car and became agitated at a driver stopped at a stop sign. He shot and killed Miguel Baray in a road rage incident just before his arrest. Garcia pleaded guilty in that Denver case to second-degree murder.

An Arapahoe County jury convicted Garcia of felony murder March 7, 2018, in the death of Hernandez-Zuniga. Judge Ben Leutwyler immediately sentenced him to life in prison without possibility of parole.

“These men cared nothing for human life, rule of law or the safety of those around them,” said Senior Deputy District Attorney Kelley Dziedzic, who prosecuted both cases with Chief Deputy District Attorney Christopher Gallo. “Mr. Hernandez-Zuniga was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. He did nothing that warranted his death and did not deserve to die. I am glad his killers got what they deserve.”

Aurora man will spend life in prison for strangling fiance

An Aurora man who strangled and killed his fiancé faces life in prison after an Arapahoe County District Court jury found him guilty of her death.

Sterling Dwayne Austin

The jury deliberated four hours before announcing they had found Sterling Dwayne Austin, 58, guilty of first-degree murder after deliberation in the death of Aurora Coleman, who was 23 when she was killed.

“All murders are acts of lawlessness and evil, but there is something particularly torturous about strangling a person to death, feeling them struggle to live and watching the life drain from their faces at less than arms-length for up to five minutes. Five minutes,” said District Attorney George Brauchler. “This is why we build prisons. Our office had eight murder trials in 2018. This is the 15th murder trial in our courts this year already.”

On Jan. 7, 2017, Austin called 911 to report Coleman needed medical assistance. First-responders found her deceased in Austin’s car.

Austin told police he thought she had taken drugs and passed out. He said he was afraid to call for help earlier because he did not want to get her in trouble.

But 12 hours prior to the 911 call, the police learned a witness reported seeing a man in that car punching and choking a woman. The man drove off before police arrived.

The coroner determined Coleman had been strangled, and the evidence led to murder charges against Austin.

“The defendant claimed he loved and cared about Ms. Coleman, but his actions showed otherwise,” said Deputy District Attorney Casey Brown, who prosecuted the case with Chief Deputy District Attorney Victoria Klingensmith. “The defendant made no effort to summon medical assistance and drove around with Ms. Coleman’s deceased body for 12 hours before attempting to mislead responders.”

Jurors convicted Austin on April 11 of one count of first-degree murder after deliberation. Sentencing is set for June 6. The statutorily madated sentence for that count is life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Louisiana fugitive guilty of murder in Englewood death

A fugitive from Louisiana has been convicted of murder in the death of a man found in an Englewood pond.

Mikhail Anthony Purpera

An Arapahoe County District Court jury found Mikhail Anthony Purpera, 31, guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Patrick Murphy, who was 33 years old.

“Human life is meaningless to this cold-blooded and wanton killer,” said District Attorney George Brauchler. “Laws that prohibit this felon from possessing firearms are meaningless to this multiple murderer. Our community, the planet, is better off with this guy behind bars forever. This is why we build prisons.”

Purpera left Louisiana in August 2016 after police in the town of Gonzales sought to arrest him there on two counts of attempted murder.

On Nov. 12, 2016, Englewood police officers arrested Purpera on suspicion of shoplifting. In his possession at the time of his arrest was a loaded .40 caliber handgun.

Tests on the handgun linked it to the shooting death of Wayland Busby, a 54-year-old transient found dead Nov. 5, 2016, in a tent where he was living along the South Platte River in Denver.

The gun also matched spent casings from the scene of the shooting in Louisiana.

When he was arrested, Purpera also had in his possession a health care card and cell phone belonging to Patrick Murphy.

Murphy’s family reported he disappeared in the early morning hours of Nov. 12.

In interviewing witnesses in the Busby death in Denver, detectives learned Purpera had told a witness he killed a man near a pond in Englewood at the northwest corner of South Broadway and U.S. 285.

That area was searched in November, but the pond was iced over and nothing was found.

In February 2017, the pond was drained to clear sediment. As the water level fell, a passerby was able to see a body and reported it to Englewood police. The coroner identified the body as that of Patrick Murphy. He had been shot in the back of the head.

A witness told police Purpera said he killed Busby to steal marijuana from him. Purpera told the witness he killed Murphy a week later because he was “getting a rush off it.”

“This defendant left a trail of victims from Louisiana to Colorado. Using a gun he should never have had because he’s a convicted felon, he brutally killed Patrick Murphy. I’m incredibly grateful to the brave witnesses who came forward and for the jury’s verdict, bringing some measure of justice to Patrick’s family,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney John Kellner, who prosecuted the case.

“Law enforcement officers, scientific experts and brave witnesses from across county and state lines banded together in the quest for justice. The slayings of Patrick Murphy and Wayland Busby were not the first times the defendant pulled a trigger, nor would they have been the last,” said Deputy District attorney Michael Mauro, who prosecuted the case with Kellner. “All who took part in the apprehension, investigation, and prosecution of the defendant should be commended for their steadfast work.”

A Denver jury convicted Purpera in August 2018 of first-degree felony murder in the death of Busby. Purpera was sentenced in November to life in prison without possibility of parole.

The Arapahoe jury convicted Purpera of first-degree felony murder; first degree murder extreme indifference; aggravated robbery; possession of a weapon by a previous offender; possession of a controlled substance; obstructing a police officer; resisting arrest and theft.

Sentencing is set for April 23. The statutorily mandated sentence for first-degree murder is life in prison without possibility of parole.

Former soldier guilty in murder of Agate rancher

A former soldier has been convicted of all counts in the death of an Elbert County rancher.

Joe Love

A jury on Monday found Joe Robert Love, 28, guilty in the murder of Edward Butler of Agate, who was 68.

“Ed Butler was shot in the head twice by a wanton killer for doing no more than being a good neighbor. An entire community was made to feel less safe by the seemingly random act of violence by a brutal murderer who appears to have taken another life for the most selfish of reasons — to protect himself from accountability for his other crimes,” said District Attorney George Brauchler. “I hope the community and Mr. Butler’s family can find some measure of closure and solace in knowing that this cold-blooded murderer will spend his remaining days locked up. This is why we build prisons.”

On Jan. 23, 2016, Love pulled off the highway to look for a bathroom. He ended up at the end of a rural road on a ranch that Butler used to own and was taking care of while the new owners were away.

Love entered Butler’s trailer on the property and proceeded to eat at the table and rummage amongst items inside, a video surveillance system recorded.

Butler happened to drive up to the trailer and saw an unfamiliar vehicle. He called the new owner to inquire if anyone was supposed to be there. When the new owner denied giving anyone permission, Butler confronted Love.

Love took Butler outside, took Butler’s own gun from his hip holster and shot him twice in the head.

Love fled the scene.

Investigators found fingerprints, DNA and other evidence at the scene that led eventually led to Love. He was arrested in January 2017 at Fort Bliss, Texas. He then implicated himself in monitored calls from jail.

“This scenario represents every homeowner’s worst fear: Coming home and interrupting an intruder who is willing to kill to get away with his crime,” said Senior Deputy District Attorney Doug Bechtel.

“The evidence is overwhelming that the defendant is the person who killed Ed Butler,” Senior Chief Deputy District Attorney Jason Siers, who prosecuted the case with Bechtel, told the jury. “Ed didn’t deserve this.”

The jury agreed.

Love was found guilty of first degree-murder after deliberation; first-degree felony murder; second-degree kidnapping; aggravated robbery; and first-degree burglary. The statutory mandated penalty for first-degree murder is life in prison without the possibility of parole. Sentencing is set for June 18.

Mother and son get life for killing witness to pot shop robbery

A mother and son were sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole for killing a witness to the robbery of a marijuana shop.

Arapahoe County District Court Judge Ryan Stuart sentenced Tina Black, 51, and Terance Black, 28, on Feb. 21 after a jury convicted both of them Feb. 15 of “first-degree murder after deliberation” and “conspiracy to commit first-degree murder after deliberation” in the death of David Henderson.

Tina Black

Terance Black

“The Henderson family lost a good man … I think our community lost a very good man,” said Stuart in imposing sentences. “This was a crime that struck at the heart of the Henderson family and struck at the heart of our criminal justice system.”

District Attorney George Brauchler praised Henderson.

“David Henderson is someone who’s to be commended for the guts and the courage to come forward and do the right thing,” Brauchler said. “Terance and Tina Black, in this case, are evil people for having done exactly what they did – which was to silence him and protect.”

He added: “This is the nightmare scenario, and the great concern I have as someone who relies on good people in the community to talk about when crimes have been committed … I do not want them to come away from this case and feel like, man, it’s just not worth the risk.”

Henderson, 48, was shot and killed outside his Denver home on Oct. 12, 2016. Two months earlier, on Aug. 14, the Cure Dispensary at 6200 E. Yale Ave. was robbed at gunpoint.

Both Blacks were staying at a nearby hotel when the robbery occurred, and Henderson was hired by them to perform maintenance on the vehicle of a man they both knew.

Henderson was working on the man’s car when Terance Black and accomplices in the robbery arrived back at the hotel. Henderson saw them unload more than 440 pounds of stolen marijuana. He saw masks and gloves in Tina Back’s car.
Henderson called Denver police to tell them what he knew, saying he believed that the people involved in the robbery were gang members.

At some point about a month after the robbery, Terance Black and accomplices were identified, and the court mistakenly sent out the unredacted, full discovery evidence to every person involved in the case. Someone who got the records discussed Henderson’s involvement with Terance Black.

Terance Black and Tina Black planned Henderson’s murder after they saw he was a key witness.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Andrew Steers asked the court to “send a message” in sentencing Terance Black.

“The community spoke, and they said, ‘This system is more important that Terance Black.’ It’s important to send a message to the public … These are good people, and to have this happen to them is part of the tragedy of the case.”

The case “goes to the heart of who we are as a country and the heart of our judicial system,” he said.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Darcy Kofol also asked for a message to be sent with the sentence of Tina Black.

David Henderson’s death “was calculated, orchestrated and planned by her and her son. … She still believes she is above this justice system, and she continues to make threats,” Kofol said. “This is a message to anyone who thinks to execute a witness in the future: This is not what we stand for here in Colorado. She committed the ultimate atrocity to our justice system.”

Tina Black was also convicted of “conspiracy to commit first-degree burglary” and “conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery,” The judge added 32 years to her life sentence.

David Henderson’s family was pleased with the trial’s outcome and spoke to the media afterwards.

Dave “was scared the whole time,” his younger sister said. “He didn’t have the proper protection, and, you know, it’s just a shame that his life got taken from trying to do the right thing.”

She added: “It’s important I go public and talk about it, because I want people to know they can’t get away with this. You should never threaten a witness and you should never murder a witness.”

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