DENVER (AP) — A man who pointed a gun at a Burger King drive-thru employee who refused to accept drugs in exchange for payment and then shot at other people elsewhere later that night has been sentenced to 143 years in prison.
Prosecutors who announced the verdict on Thursday said the drive-thru incident was the beginning of a series of crimes committed by Eugene Robertson in the Denver suburb of Aurora on October 17, 2022. No one was injured.
In April, a jury found Robertson guilty on 17 counts, including eight counts of attempted murder. The sentences for many of these crimes were stacked, resulting in a lengthy prison sentence. Robertson had faced a maximum sentence of more than 400 years when he was sentenced on August 9.
“I hope this 100-year prison sentence serves as a warning that my prosecutors and I will not tolerate violent crime in our community,” 18th Judicial District Attorney John Kellner said in a statement.
After pointing the gun at the drive-thru employee, Robertson walked into a convenience store across the street and pointed the gun at a clerk’s head, according to prosecutors. When Robertson saw a security camera system installed there, he shot at the screen and walked away. He then shot two people outside in the parking lot, Kellner’s office said.
The Sentinel Colorado in Aurora had previously reported that a witness told police at the supermarket that “something seemed wrong” with Robertson, that he was “talking about God” and that he had a Bible with a purple cover.
Later that night, a woman who was friends with Robertson called 911 to report that he had fired shots after she refused to open the door to her apartment, where she was with several people, prosecutors said.
Police spotted Robertson at the woman’s apartment complex, hiding behind some bushes before he was arrested, prosecutors said.
The Associated Press
