Category: Cases

Michael David Counterman (DOB: 12-30-1979) was sentenced Friday to life in prison without the possibility of parole by the First Judicial District Court for the murder of 50-year-old Randi Ackerman.

“Randi will be remembered by so many,” Ackerman’s family said in a statement. “He left the world a better place by sharing his enthusiasm for enjoying even the little things in life.”

“Randi Ackerman was so well loved by his family, friends, and neighbors, and these are the people that will continue to suffer as a result of the defendant’s choices and actions,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Alexandra Brady in the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office (Gilpin/Jefferson).

Lakewood Police Department was dispatched to Green Mountain Apartments on April 4, 2020, in response to reports of gunfire. When officers arrived, they found Ackerman kneeling in the street with a gunshot wound to his chest. It was later discovered by medical personnel that he had also suffered gunshot wounds to the arm, abdomen and both knees. Ackerman was transported to St. Anthony’s Hospital and approximately ten days later, on April 15, 2020, Ackerman passed away from his injuries.

Through the investigation, detectives learned that the victim identified his shooter as “Michael”, to the witnesses and first responders that arrived on scene. Multiple witnesses also overheard the confrontation and were able to identify the vehicle associated to the shooter. With the help of these witness statements, law enforcement quickly identified the shooter as Michael Counterman, the new boyfriend of the victim’s ex-girlfriend. Further investigation revealed that Counterman left his DNA on evidence at the crime scene.

On September 24, 2021, after a week-long trial, a Jefferson County jury found Counterman guilty of First-Degree Murder After Deliberation.

Roger Allan Coderre (DOB: 02-06-1968) was sentenced by the First Judicial District Court on Friday to 22 years in prison for assaulting three unhoused men in Golden in 2019.

“One of our office’s greatest priorities is to aggressively prosecute those who target vulnerable people in our community and this was definitely one of those cases,” said Jennifer Rhoads, an Assistant District Attorney in the First Judicial District (Gilpin/Jefferson). “The judge’s sentence is appropriate and we hope that it provides a sense of justice to the victims and community.”

On June 12, 2019, Coderre approached two unhoused men walking along the sidewalk on Jackson Street in Golden – between Ford Street and 14th Street. Described as being dressed in all black with a mask on, Coderre repeatedly struck the two victims with a metal baton while verbally harassing them. Both men were transported to a local hospital where they received multiple staples for their head wounds.

Upon further investigation, it was discovered that Coderre matched the description of a masked assailant from a prior assault of an unhoused man that occurred in the same vicinity on January 5, 2019. This attack occurred in a church parking lot and also involved a baton. Similar to the second assault, the victim reported being verbally harassed with his attacker shouting – “get out of my Golden”, and, “If I see you again, I’ll kill you,”.

Using surveillance footage from surrounding residences and businesses, officers from the Golden Police Department were able to identify Coderre’s vehicle. An anonymous call was made to an investigator on the case claiming that two unhoused men were trying to trick the police. When questioned by the police, Coderre admitted to placing the call and following the victims during the incident but denied involvement. During the interview, he also made derogatory comments about people experiencing homelessness.

On August 5, Coderre was found guilty by a Jefferson County jury of nine charges, including multiple counts of assault and felony menacing. The defendant’s guilty verdict included charges for:

• First-Degree Assault Causing Serious Bodily Injury with a Deadly Weapon (2 Counts)
• Second-Degree Assault Causing Injury with a Deadly Weapon (2 Counts)
• Felony Menacing with a Real or Simulated Weapon (3 Counts)
• Attempt to Influence a Public Servant
• Attempt to Commit Second-Degree Assault Causing Injury with a Deadly Weapon

Rogel Lazaro Aguilera-Mederos (DOB: 11-21-1995) was convicted by a Jefferson County jury at the First Judicial District Court on Friday of four counts of Vehicular Homicide for the deadly 2019 incident on I-70 in Lakewood.

Aguilera-Mederos was also found guilty of 23 other charges, including:

• Six counts of Assault in the First Degree – Extreme Indifference
• 10 counts of Attempt to Commit Assault in the First Degree – Extreme Indifference
• Two counts of Vehicular Assault – Reckless
• One count of Reckless Driving
• Four counts of Careless Driving Causing Death

The court scheduled the sentencing hearing for Dec. 13. The First Judicial District Attorney’s Office (Gilpin/Jefferson) will not release any information or make any additional statements until that time.

Christopher Michael Pride (DOB: 11-02-1989) was sentenced by the First Judicial District Court to life in prison without the possibility of parole Wednesday. In May, a jury found Pride guilty of murdering 21-year-old Roderick Vecchiarelli and robbing a woman who was shot multiple times in Lakewood in 2019.
 
“Chris Pride took the life of my only grandson,” said Cynthia Emma Haines, Vecchiarelli’s grandmother. “He took a young man’s future. He took away a huge part of our family and he even took away a life for himself. There won’t be a day that goes by that I won’t think of Roderick and wish that he was still here. My family will forever be healing from this.”
 
In the early morning hours of June 17, 2019, officers from the Lakewood Police Department responded to reports of shots fired at the Mountayre Trailer Park off of West Colfax Avenue on Depew Street. Vecchiarelli was found with multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced deceased after being transported to St. Anthony’s Hospital. A woman with Vecchiarelli had been shot multiple times in her legs and was in critical condition but survived after emergency treatment at Denver Health.
 
Witnesses reported seeing a vehicle speed away from the scene shortly after the gunshots. A vehicle matching the description was found shortly after by Edgewater police officers investigating a traffic accident. Danny Carter, Jr., (DOB: 05-14-1983) and a woman passenger were apprehended after being seen walking away from the vehicle.
 
The ensuing investigation revealed that there were two other passengers in the vehicle who ran away before officers arrived. Through cellphone records and surveillance footage, Pride was identified as one of the passengers and a shooter in the incident. On federal probation and supervised probation at the time of the murder, he was arrested in Colorado Springs on July 18, 2019.
 
Pride was convicted on May 14 of Felony Murder along with four charges of Aggravated Robbery and another four for Conspiracy to Commit Aggravated Robbery. The judge included an additional consecutive sentence of 64 years to life in Wednesday’s decision for the robbery of Vecchiarelli and the woman.
 
“This senseless act of violence has devastated the families of Roderick Vecchiarelli and the other victim who suffered severe harm,” said Chris Brousseau, a Chief Deputy District Attorney in the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office (Gilpin/Jefferson). “Hopefully they will feel some sense of closure with this sentence.”
 
Keshun Lavelle Bastian (DOB: 08-28-2001) – identified as the other passenger who ran from the vehicle and the second shooter – was sentenced to 45 years in prison on March 18 after pleading guilty to Second-Degree Murder, First-Degree Assault with a Deadly Weapon and two counts of Aggravated Robbery.
 
For his role in the incident, Carter pled guilty to Aggravated Robbery and Accessory to Crime charges. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison on October 22.

Larysa Pavlona Leuchanka (DOB: 04-25-1960) was sentenced Tuesday to five years probation for animal cruelty charges in Jefferson County. The terms of Leuchanka’s community supervision prohibit her from being in contact with the dogs who were victimized and owning or breeding any animal.
 
“The defendant’s neglect for the safety of the dogs in her care resulted in one being injured but it could have been much worse,” said Allie Galvan, a Deputy District Attorney in the First Judicial District (Gilpin/Jefferson). “We are satisfied with the court’s decision to ensure that other animals in our community won’t be placed in similar danger.”
 
On June 23, Leuchanka pled guilty to Cruelty to Animals – Neglect or Mistreatment, for an incident that occurred on April 13 when she was driving with a dog and puppy unsecured in the back of a trailer. A witness who saw the dog hanging out of the back of the trailer honked and got Leuchanka to pull over. After being warned about the danger to the animals, she drove off with them still in the back.
 
Animal control officers from the Lakewood Police Department were dispatched to the scene and began their investigation. The following day, they were notified by Jefferson County Animal Control that the dog later fell out of the trailer on Interstate 70. It was transported to Foothills Animal Shelter where Leuchanka confirmed that the dog was hers and the one pictured in a photo hanging out of the trailer.