In court, family of King Soopers shooting victims shared stories of loved ones and loss

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BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — A mentally ill man who killed 10 people at a Colorado supermarket in 2021 was sentenced Monday to life in prison for murder after a jury rejected his attempt to avoid prison time by pleading not guilty by reason of insanity.

Victims’ relatives recounted in pained testimony the lives gunman Ahmad Alissa destroyed in the 2021 attack in Boulder.

“To the person that’s done this, we hope that you suffer for the rest of your life. You are a coward,” said Nikolena Stanisic, whose only sibling, Neven, was killed. “I hope this haunts the defendant until the end of time. The defendant deserves the absolute worst.”

Stanisic recalled going out to ice cream with her brother the night before he was shot and how he would sometimes help her with bills. Their household — once filled with talk and laughter — is now mostly silent, she told the court.

Defense attorneys did not dispute that Alissa, who has schizophrenia, fatally shot 10 people including a police officer. But they argued he was insane at the time of the attack and couldn’t tell right from wrong.

“This was not about mental illness. This was about brutal, intentional violence,” District Attorney Michael Dougherty said.

The courtroom was packed largely with victims’ families and police, including officers shot at by Alissa. Several members of Alissa’s family sat behind him.

The daughter of killed Officer Eric Talley lamented the life milestones they would not be able to share. But Madeline Talley said she would not hold onto bitterness and forgave Alissa.

“He taught me to believe that God brings good out of evil,” Madeline Talley said of her father.

Others weren’t ready to forgive. Robert Olds — whose niece, Rikki, was killed — said Alissa’s family should have been held criminally responsible because their “ignorance, inattentiveness and inaction” led directly to the attack.

Alissa did not visibly react as the verdict was read. During sentencing, he looked at times toward the victims’ relatives as they spoke. For much of the time he sat hunched over, talking to his attorney or writing.

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COLLEEN SLEVIN Associated Press

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