There is a sad update in the case of an eighteen year-old Greeley juvenile who was accused and charged with shooting and killing his eleven year-old brother. The teen pled guilty to one count of Criminally Negligent Homicide (CRS 18-3-105) in the shooting death of his younger brother. The defendant and family insisted it was an accident, but a Weld County judge who presides over criminal proceedings in Erie, Evans, and Hudson thought otherwise.
The teen defendant stated that his younger brother was allegedly being harassed and intimidated by a stranger coming to his window late at night. The older brother said that he bought the gun in an effort to protect his brother, but after having no need to use the gun over a few months, the older brother decided he did not want the weapon anymore.
When the gun was left on a table in the family’s house, the younger brother found it and refused to listen to pleas by the older to set it down. In the struggle that ensued, the younger brother was shot and killed by the older brother who pulled the trigger. In this sad story, the family states they lost two sons and brothers that day, instead of just one.
This brother still emphatically states that it was an accident and that he did not mean to shoot and kill his younger sibling. But by pleading guilty to criminally negligent homicide, he faces a three year sentence in a correctional facility in Greeley. This young man entered into the court system scared and unprepared to fight for himself. His life has taken a drastic change with a guilty plea that assures he will deal with the consequences of a felony conviction for the rest of his life in addition to dealing with the death of his brother.
If police contact you regarding Criminally Negligent Homicide Charges or other felony charges, be smart, exercise your right to remain silent, and contact the O’Malley Law Office at 970-616-6009. Together, we can protect your future.