The man who fatally shot 10 people in 2021 at a King Soopers supermarket in Boulder has been found guilty of all counts, including first-degree murder.
DENVER (KDVR) — The man who fatally shot 10 people in 2021 at a King Soopers supermarket in Boulder has been found guilty of all counts, including first-degree murder.
Ahmad Alissa was given 10 consecutive life sentences for the murders, with additional consecutive years for other charges. The sentencing hearing was held hours after the verdict on Monday.
Jurors were deciding if Alissa should be convicted or found not guilty by reason of insanity. His attorneys did not dispute that he was the shooter, but argued he couldn’t tell right from wrong. Prosecutors said he knew what he was doing and carefully planned the shooting.
Along with 10 counts of first-degree murder, Alissa was convicted on 38 counts of first-degree attempted murder, one count of assault in the first degree and six counts of possessing a large-capacity magazine.
Before sentencing Monday afternoon, family and loved ones of those killed in the shooting addressed the court. Over the course of more than two hours, they shared memories of the victims and the impact of losing them.
In this image taken from video provided by the Colorado Judicial Branch, Ahmad Alissa, third from left, stands for the verdict in his trial for the 2021 Colorado supermarket shootings, Monday, Sept 23, 2024, in Boulder, Colo. (Colorado Judicial Branch via AP)
Prosecutors had said Alissa, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia after the shooting, was legally sane and knew the difference between right and wrong. They pointed out that he used steel-piercing bullets and an optic sight to help him kill as many people as possible.
But the defense underscored that Alissa told state psychologists he heard voices that were yelling in his head. Alissa told them that he thought the voices might stop if he committed a mass shooting.
Alissa did not visibly react as the judge began reciting the guilty verdicts against him. He sat at a table with his attorneys and appeared to trade notes with members of the defense team, speaking quietly at times with one of his attorneys.
The trial lasted more than two weeks once the jury was seated, with closing arguments on Friday. The jury deliberated that afternoon and Monday morning before reaching the verdict.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.