BOULDER, Colo. — A Boulder County jury found the man who shot and killed 10 people at a King Soopers in 2021 guilty of all charges, including 10 first-degree murder charges.
The judge began reading the verdict at 1:25 p.m. The jury started deliberations on Friday afternoon.
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Ahmad Alissa faced 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 the March 22, 2021, shooting at King Soopers at 3600 Table Mesa Drive in Boulder.
Ten people were killed that day: Neven Stanisic, 23; Tralona Bartkowiak, 49; Denny Stong, 20; Teri Leiker, 51; Suzanne Fountain, 59; Kevin Mahoney, 61; Lynn Murray, 62; Jody Waters, 65; Rikki Olds, 25, and Boulder Police Officer Eric Talley, 51.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis released the following statement immediately after the verdict:
“Three years ago our community felt the unbearable pain of losing ten of our fellow Coloradans in a senseless attack on the Boulder community. That day loved ones, friends, and neighbors were taken from us far too soon by an act of pure evil. Today, justice is served. Though I know this guilty verdict won’t heal the pain so many of us feel, or bring back those who were killed, I hope that it can provide some peace. My thoughts are with the family members and friends of Eric Talley, Rikki Olds, Teri Leiker, Denny Stong, Suzanne Fountain, Tralona Bartkowiak, Neven Stanisic, Lynn Murray, Jody Waters, and Kevin Mahoney, as well as the entire Boulder community. We are all still Boulder Strong.”
Defense attorneys don't dispute that the defendant, who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, was the shooter. They have argued he is not guilty by reason of insanity, alleging that he didn't know the difference between right and wrong when he pulled the trigger.
The case stalled for more than two years after multiple doctors reported that the shooter was not mentally competent to stand trial, meaning he could not understand the proceedings and assist in his own defense.
After treatment and medication, the judge ruled in the fall of 2023 that the man's competency had been restored.
If the jury finds him guilty of any of the murder charges, the shooter would be sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison with no chance of parole. If he were to be found not guilty by reason of insanity, he would be committed to a mental institution and treated until he was deemed no longer a danger to himself or others.