On Thursday, a man was convicted of first-degree murder and attempted murder after using an AK-47 to kill a lady and injure her partner as they were walking their Dog.
Prosecutors said Michael Close, 38, had a “verbal exchange” with Isabella Thallas, 21, and Darian Simon on June 10, 2020, when they were urging their Dog to urinate itself outside Close’s residence near Coors Field.
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Close had pled not guilty by reason of insanity, but jurors determined that he understood exactly what he was doing when he opened fire, according to The Denver Post.
Close shouted out the window at the pair as they told the dog to “go pee” before grabbing the AK-47 from a buddy who was a Denver police sergeant. Prosecutors said he fired 24 shots.
Sonja Prins, Close’s public defender, said that Close had a mental breakdown. She said that Close’s bad mental health at the time of the shooting was caused by his tough background, a string of job losses, a breakup, and the COVID-19 epidemic.
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Close, as well as members of Thallas’ family, sobbed when the decision was read.
Anna Thallas, Thallas’ mother, stated she was numb.
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“We’d been waiting for this day for 212 years, and what transpired inside simply flew by… just as quickly as my daughter was slain,” she lamented. “And our lives were changed forever.”
Via: NBCnews