First-Degree Murder – Sentence Reduced From Life Without Parole to 12 Years

Our client was charged with first-degree murder, first-degree assault, and other offenses after trying to rescue friends from a chaotic all-night party. He was not present at the party, but had been called by a friend to pick him and a young woman up. When he arrived, a dangerous situation was unfolding. Several intoxicated, armed men made threats and implied they intended to sexually assault the woman.

When our client intervened, one of the men approached his car with a gun in hand. Fearing for his and his friends’ safety, he made a split-second decision: He fired a gun from the driver’s seat, striking his assailant. He saw others point guns toward him and fired more rounds toward their vehicle to prevent further violence. The confrontation ended tragically, with one man dead. In panic and shock, our client fled the scene, then took the deceased’s gun and ran to Mexico.

Several months later, he was arrested by Mexican authorities and extradited to Colorado. He faced a first-degree murder charge, which in Colorado means life in prison without parole. Krizman Law’s exhaustive investigation uncovered serious credibility issues among witnesses. We also learned that the deceased and a record of violence, including arrests for gun-related offenses. Toxicology revealed the deceased had alcohol and cocaine in his system, along with cocaethylene, a dangerous compound formed when the two substances mix.

Krizman Law assembled a comprehensive “mitigation” presentation to tell the full story and provide a complete picture of our young client’s life. The multimedia report illustrated the case’s many factual problems and told the human story of a young man who made a split-second decision under extreme threat. After extensive negotiations with the Denver District Attorney’s Office, the prosecution agreed to reduce the potential life sentence to a 10- to 12-year range through a combination of lesser charges.

At sentencing, Krizman Law produced one of the most compelling hearings ever seen in that courtroom—structured around key witnesses, personal history, and character evidence. The judge imposed a 12-year sentence, which will allow our client to rebuild his life and return home by his early thirties. Given that there was a death involved, this was an exceptional result considering Colorado’s stiff sentencing laws.

We saved this man’s life. What began as an unthinkable tragedy became a story of redemption, advocacy, and justice earned through relentless preparation.