Colorado man found guilty of murdering 10 people at…
A Colorado jury on Monday rejected an insanity defense and convicted the man who gunned down 10 people at a Boulder supermarket three years ago of murder.
Ahmad Alissa, 25, was found guilty on all 55 charges, including 10 counts of first-degree murder, in the March 22, 2021, assault at King Soopers.
He’s likely to be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Each one of the verdicts, reached by the Boulder County panel, was read out loud in the courtroom of District Court Chief Judge Ingrid Bakke.
Jurors deliberated for about six hours after getting the case Friday afternoon.
Alissa remained seated as the verdicts were read and didn’t appear to show any demonstrative reaction. He appeared to speak with his defense team for much of this process.
Alissa’s defense lawyers hadn’t contested their client as the shooter, but argued for not guilty by diminished capacity because he could not distinguish between right and wrong when he opened fire. He was later diagnosed with schizophrenia.
The verdict and speed in which it was reached was expected, according to KUSA legal analyst Whitney Traylor.
The prosecution proved that Alissa showed all the hallmarks of knowing right from wrong in the days leading to the attack, such as going to his job, dropping his brother off at work and obeying all traffic laws, according to the legal analyst.
“I’m not surprised,” Traylor told the NBC affiliate. “I think it would have been difficult for a jury to come back with some other verdict.”
Alissa was arrested at the scene after he was shot in the leg by police.
Responding Boulder Police Officer Eric Talley, 51, was the first law enforcement agent to arrive at the King Soopers when he was killed. Talley was a father of seven and an 11-year veteran of the Boulder police force.
The other victims were Denny Stong, 20; Neven Stanisic, 23; Rikki Olds, 25; Tralona Bartkowiak, 49; Suzanne Fountain, 59; Teri Leiker, 51; Kevin Mahoney, 61; Lynn Murray, 62; and Jody Waters, 65.
Alissa, who lived in the Denver suburb of Arvada, purchased an assault weapon six days before the attack, according to an arrest affidavit.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.