An Aurora woman who used a handgun to shoot a man in a driveway has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.
On March 17 a jury found Joel Mary Felix, 37, guilty of first-degree assault with a deadly weapon causing serious bodily injury. She also was found guilty of felony menacing.
Joel Mary Felix
Arapahoe District Judge Ben Leutwyler on May 15 sentenced Felix to 12 years in the Department of Corrections on the menacing count and 25 years on the assault count. The sentences will be served concurrently.
On Oct. 21, 2014, Felix was at a friend’s house where she had been drinking alcohol and smoking crack for several hours. She became confrontational and accused other people in the home of stealing from her.
Felix was yelling and waving the gun on the front porch. With no provocation she shot a 36-year-old man who was in a nearby driveway.
The man was shot in the stomach and lost 12 liters of blood but survived.
“This defendant was on probation for her second and third felony convictions when she shot a citizen in cold blood for no reason, then callously walked away to let him die. If it was not for the pure luck of having a combat veteran and an off-duty police officer within seconds of where the victim fell, and the extraordinary work of the emergency staff at the hospital to save the victim, his life would not have been saved,” said Senior Deputy District Attorney Gary Dawson, who prosecuted the case.
He added: “Joel Felix should spend every day of her 25-year sentence thanking the people who saved the victim’s life for sparing her from the life sentence she would so richly deserve if their extraordinary efforts had failed.”
District Attorney George Brauchler said the sentence was appropriate.
“The conduct here was outrageous. Firearms should not be in the hands of convicted felons and crack users.”
###