Gunman in Colo. Grocery Store Shooting that Killed 10 Convicted on All Counts

By Nicky Andrews

Source Colorado Hometown Weekly

Ahmad Alissa was found guilty Monday on all counts, including 10 counts of first-degree murder, in the Boulder King Soopers mass shooting case.

Alissa, who did not testify in the case, fatally shot 10 people in the Table Mesa King Soopers on March 22, 2021. He was sentenced to 10 life sentences, running consecutively, plus another 1,334 years.

The verdict and sentencing

Alissa was found guilty of 10 counts of first-degree murder, 38 counts of attempted first-degree murder, one count of first-degree assault, six counts of felony possession of a prohibited large capacity magazine, and 38 crime-of-violence sentence enhancers in connection with the shooting.

Alissa was sentenced to 10 life sentences without the possibility of parole; 48 years for each attempted first-degree murder sentence, of which some merged due to them being related to the same victims; six one-year sentences for felony possession of a prohibited large capacity magazine; and one 32 year sentence for first-degree assault. All sentencing terms are to be served consecutively.

Last year, Alissa pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to all counts.

'Not just another statistic'

Family members wept Monday afternoon as Chief Judge Ingrid Bakke read the guilty counts for first-degree murder, before proceeding to read each guilty count for 38 counts of attempted first-degree murder.

Law enforcement personnel lined the back of the courtroom and reached for one another when the names of the officers who responded that day were called out. Alissa's family members left the courtroom with tear-filled eyes.

Following the verdict the court took a break. Alissa, who was previously in a dress shirt, returned in an orange-and-white Department of Corrections jumpsuit. His family did not return for the sentencing hearing.

Boulder Police Officer Eric Talley, Denny Stong, 20; Neven Stanisic, 23; Rikki Olds, 25; Tralona Bartkowiak, 49; Teri Leiker, 51; Suzanne Fountain, 59; Kevin Mahoney, 61; Lynn Murray, 62; and Jody Waters, 65 were killed in the shooting.

During the sentencing hearing Monday afternoon, victims' family members took the lectern and shared words about the loved ones they'd lost.

"I sat and waited and knew something that was going to destroy my family was coming," Starr Bartkowiak, mother of Tralona Bartkowiak, said about the moment she heard about the shooting. "My heart was bleeding inside of my body. ... My chest was filling with cement."

She added later, "There is always emptiness, and it is unspoken."

Erika Mahoney, daughter of Kevin Mahoney, also addressed the court.

"I wish the young man behind the gun received more love in this life because maybe this would've never happened," she said.

"It all needs to stop," Erika Mahoney added. "We all need to open our eyes. My dad represents all things love."

Later she told the Daily Camera, "Had things gone differently, had the shooter got out and said, 'I need help,' my dad would have been by his side."

Erika Mahoney said she wore a ladybug shirt to court Monday in honor of her dad. She recalled a time she hiked all the tallest peaks in the Boulder area with her dad one summer, and that one of the mountains was covered in ladybugs.

"I connect with my dad through nature," she said. "I'm really excited to honor him in that way, and it's just been an honor to be his daughter and be a voice for him in the courtroom."

Bob Olds, uncle to Rikki Olds, also addressed the court, saying "Thou shall not kill" before listing each of the victims' names during his statement. Bob Olds said the defense argued that Alissa heard voices in his head and that's what caused him to commit the mass shooting.

"You ignored the most important one — God's," Bob Olds said.

"Rikki was full of life. Her laughter, kindness and energy touched everyone around her," Bob Olds added.

Neven Stanisic's sister, Nikolina Stanisic, also spoke to Chief Judge Ingrid Bakke.

"Neven is not just another statistic of people who have lost their lives in a mass shooting," Nikolina Stanisic said. "He was just like any of us sitting in this courtroom today."

"The shooter had not won," Margie Whittington, mother of Teri Leiker, told the court. "We will go forward with our love for her."

Lisa Allen, Denny Stong's mom, worked at the store and was in the parking lot at the time of the shooting.

"I lost nine people I knew, the hardest was my son, Denny Stong," Allen said in her statement. "The defendant is a coward."

Fountain's family did not speak during the sentencing, but Dougherty described Fountain as an "incredible person" who he was denied the privilege of meeting because of Alissa.

Olivia McKenzie, daughter of Murray, said despite only her mom having been killed in the shooting, she lost two parents because of it. McKenzie explained that a year after the shooting, her father died of a heart attack. She believes that was due to the immense heartbreak he experienced, grieving Murray.

"I died that day too," McKenzie said. "Everyone in my family did."

"He could only take the heartbreak for so long. He lost his spark and his light after that day, I watched it dim," McKenzie added. "I don't have parents anymore because of this."

Other statements for victims' children were also read.

"The only thing that could take our mom down was someone else's hurt and anger," one of Jody Waters' daughters wrote in a statement. "I hope she is free."

Madeline Talley is one of Eric Talley's seven children. She said Monday that she was 16 when he was killed.

"My dad wasn't there when I earned my license, he wasn't there when I got my first job, ... he wasn't there to interrogate my first boyfriend like he always said he would," Madeline Talley said. "He wasn't there for any of my big steps in my life and he won't be for the future."

She continued, "I have to live the rest of my life without my dad."

'Their strength and perseverance'

As families of the murder victims and attempted murder victims stood outside the Boulder County Justice Center during a press conference, they held hands and nodded in agreement and sympathy with those who spoke.

District Attorney Michael Dougherty, who served as lead prosecutor on the case, had asked for the maximum sentence, which was ultimately handed down.

"One of the positive things is getting to know how amazing the victims were and are," Dougherty said. "Over the time, since this case began, seeing them and getting to know them with their strength and perseverance, it's just incredible to me what they've had to live through."

"Without hesitation, one of our officers tragically paid the ultimate sacrifice," Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said. "Eric's life and sacrifice will live on forever."

Throughout the trial, the jury heard from survivors, family members of Alissa, doctors and law enforcement officials.

The jury began deliberating around 2 p.m. Friday. On Monday morning, they asked to review video of one of Alissa's sanity evaluations presented by the defense during the trial; an eight-minute video composed of the store's surveillance footage during the shooting; and body camera footage showing Alissa's arrest.

"Of all the trials we've done, I've never seen a jury show up in the way they have in this case," Dougherty said. He also thanked the victim advocates for standing by the families for 3 1/2 years.

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