The man who shot and killed 10 people at a Boulder, Colorado, grocery store in 2021 has been sentenced to 10 life sentences, plus 1,334 years in prison. The sentence from a Colorado judge comes days after the conviction. hours after a jury convicted Ahmad Alissa on the 55 charges he faced.
The trial of the shooter, who had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, lasted 10 days. The prosecution did not dispute that the defendant suffered from schizophrenia, but argued that it did not prevent him from knowing right from wrong and planning the attack. The jury deliberated for about six hours over two days before reaching its verdict.
“As this chapter closes, it doesn’t bring back any of our loved ones, but with this verdict, it ensures that this killer will pay for his heinous and brutal crimes and murders for the rest of his life,” said Bob Olds, whose daughter Rikki was among those killed.
The mass shooting occurred at the King Soopers in South Table Mesa on March 22, 2021. The victims included customers and workers, as well as Boulder Police Officer Eric Talley, who was killed while responding to the scene. Other officers were able to stop the shooter despite gunfire, and he was arrested at the scene.
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Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said after the sentencing that Monday “marks the end of an incredibly long and painful journey for the victims.”
“Today we bring to a close what has been a truly painful chapter in the history of the criminal court,” Dougherty said.
“Today marks justice in this criminal case, but I also recognize, as you do, that nothing will repair the harm, damage and trauma that the defendant has inflicted on the victims’ families.”
A mass shooting project
During the trial, the prosecution argued that even though the defendant was mentally ill, that did not in itself mean, under the law, that he was insane.
Dougherty said the shooter planned the attack months in advance. That included researching other mass shootings, including the one in 2019 Walmart Massacre in El Paso, Texas, and the Shootings at Christ Church in New Zealand.
“Make no mistake, folks. He was planning this since the very beginning of January 2021,” he said.
The shooter lived in Arvada but, for some unknown reason, began planning his crime in a populated area of nearby Boulder in the days leading up to the shooting.
After arriving at the grocery store — likely “the first major public shopping center” he had encountered, according to the district attorney — he chose his targets at random in what Dougherty called “the ultimate act of cowardice.”
The shooter’s defense team had argued at his trial that what happened in March 2021 was not a choice, but the result of the defendant’s mental illness. They said the mental illness had become so severe that the voices in the man’s head randomly led him to the Boulder mall.
The agent did “what he is trained to do”
Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn spoke after the sentencing and praised the officers who first responded to the scene.
“As you’ve heard throughout this trial, our officers did exactly what they were trained to do. They drove as fast as they could to get there, and then once they got there, they ran into that store under gunfire as everyone ran out,” he said.
Redfearn said officers’ training helped stop a shooting that could have resulted in even more deaths.
“It’s a miracle we didn’t lose more officers that day,” he said.
He also thanked members of Talley’s family and circle of friends who came to the courthouse for much of the trial.
“To all of you, I want to thank you for your perseverance, your strength and your resilience, because they are an inspiration to us all,” he said.
“Eric’s life and sacrifice will remain forever etched in our memories.”
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Redfearn also paid tribute to the families of the nine innocent victims who were killed.
Ensure that attention remains focused on victims
Several family members of the victims spoke after the sentencing, including Bob Olds. Olds wants to make sure the focus remains on the victims.
“Over these three and a half years, I want to thank (the media) for sharing Rikki Olds’ life with everyone and ensuring that the victims of this brutal mass shooting were put front and center rather than the killer,” he said.
He also thanked the Boulder County prosecution team and victim advocates.
“They were really there for us from day one, for those three years, six months and one day,” he said.
Talley’s sister, Kirstin Brooks, said she was relieved that the “monster was put in jail.” She said her brother responded to the scene with two intentions: “to protect people, and he went in there to shoot the killer in the head.”
“The trajectory of this bullet ends today in justice for what these people did,” she said.
Denise Danel, a close relative of victim Jody Waters, said “this should not have happened.” She questioned why the shooter’s family didn’t do more to try to stop him from committing mass murder.
“Why didn’t they help him?” she asked.
Olivia Mackenzie, daughter of victim Lynn Murray, said going to the grocery store hasn’t been the same for her since the shooting.
“I just hope that other potential mass murderers who have the desire to do this will understand that there will be consequences. And I don’t think insanity as an escape route should be an option,” she said.
Erica Mahoney has opened up about the death of her father Kevin.
“I never imagined my dad would have to run for his life in a grocery store parking lot,” she said.
Governor says ‘justice has been served’
Governor Jared Polis released a statement after the verdict saying in part: “Today, justice was served.”
“While I know this guilty verdict will not heal the pain many of us feel, nor bring back to life those who were killed, I hope it can bring some measure of peace,” he wrote. “My thoughts are with the family and friends of Eric Talley, Rikki Olds, Teri Leiker, Denny Stong, Suzanne Fountain, Tralona Bartkowiak, Neven Stanisic, Lynn Murray, Jody Waters, Kevin Mahoney, and the entire Boulder community.”
