JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — One week after he was convicted in the 2022 death of Arvada Officer Dillon Vakoff, Sonny Thomas Almanza III was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Almanza stood trial in connection with the deadly shooting of Vakoff, 27, and non-fatal shooting of a woman in the early hours of Sept. 11, 2022.
The jury reached a verdict one day after prosecutors and the defense presented their closing arguments. They found Almanza guilty on all counts, which included first-degree murder of a peace officer with extreme indifference, first-degree murder after deliberation, first-degree murder with extreme indifference, attempted murder, second-degree assault, possessing a weapon as a felon, possessing a large-capacity magazine during a crime and trespassing.
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Stephanie Butzer 4:56 PM, Dec 07, 2023
The court heard statements from Vakoff and Almanza's loved ones during Thursday's hearing.
Arvada Police Chief Ed Brady said Vakoff was in the prime of his life. He was going to join the department's SWAT Team and had plans to become a school resource officer.
"The defendant's choices have consequences," said Brady.
Officer Joe Galvez read a speech on behalf of Vakoff's stepfather, Dan.
"I chose to be Dillon's dad," Dan wrote. "I knew he was special and would accomplish great things."
Dan wrote of the fury he feels now that his son is gone.
"You had a choice. You chose to steal my son from me," Dan wrote. "I am mad and angry, but I choose not to pull out a gun."
"You will live on... I will never have my boy," Dan continued.
The prosecutor then read a message on behalf of Vakoff's mother, Lisa.
Lisa explained that she has lost both of her children and is now "truly alone in this." She spoke of the hard work she put in as a single mother to provide a life for her children. Now, without Dillon, she said, "My life has been stolen."
"He sacrificed his life to save your family from you," Lisa wrote. "You chose to annihilate my family."
The last person to speak on behalf of Vakoff was his girlfriend, fellow Arvada Officer Megan Esslinger.
"You stole my best friend from me so I refuse to say your name," Esslinger began.
The two lived together and had plans to get married and start a family. Those plans are now gone, she said.
"I see him everywhere in the house we were making a home," Esslinger said.
Esslinger recalled the night Vakoff died. She said the two did their handshake and shared "I love yous" before Vakoff headed to his assigned sector. That was the last time she saw her boyfriend alive.
"A part of me died that day and I will never get that part back," she said.
While she did not address Almanza directly, Esslinger shared her intentions for him.
"I hope the stories I have shared of Dillon haunt you as you sit in a cell," she said.
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Katie Parkins 5:22 PM, Dec 06, 2023
Almanza's loved ones then took the podium, asking the judge for mercy with his sentencing.
"My brother is a good man. He is a good father. He is a good son," said Matthew Medlock, Almanza's brother. "I understand there's losses on both sides."
"No matter what they say, we know who you are," Medlock continued, choking back tears.
梅德洛克问他是否可以拥抱阿尔曼扎，但法官出于安全考虑拒绝了他的请求。
阿尔曼扎的祖母首先向瓦科夫的亲人表示哀悼。
“这真是一个疯狂、疯狂的夜晚，”她说。
这位祖母接着说，她的孙子是一位尽职尽责的家庭成员和慈爱的父亲。
祖母说:“我希望法庭能够，请为他的痛苦伸张正义。”“我知道他非常非常伤心，因为那个警察今晚被杀了。”
“请原谅。总有一天，让桑尼成为孩子们生活的一部分，”祖母继续说道。
阿尔曼扎的堂兄香特尔·斯旺是最后一个为他发言的人。
“我们家不是无情的人。我们确实在乎，”她说。“我们的人也回不来了。”
“桑尼不是怪物……这是一场可怕的事故，”斯旺继续说道。“没有人是赢家。”
在接受判决之前，阿尔曼扎在法庭上发表了讲话，并表示悔恨。
“我只是想让这里的每个人都知道，他们可能会认为我是个怪物……但我只是每天、每晚为这里的每个人祈祷。”“一切都结束了……我只是希望每个人都能痊愈。”
法官拉塞尔·克莱因(Russell Klein)将此案描述为“几乎所有意义上的悲剧”。
“语言擅长说明谁做了什么……但却永远无法恢复失去的生命，”克莱因在对瓦科夫的亲人说。
他还谈到了阿尔曼扎的损失，他说:“现在有两个年幼的孩子将在没有父亲的情况下长大。”
因瓦科夫之死，克莱因判处阿尔曼扎终身监禁，不得假释。阿尔曼扎还因非致命枪击被判处18年监禁，并因在犯罪过程中持有大容量弹匣和非法侵入罪分别被判处1.5年监禁。
在听证会结束前，阿尔曼扎的律师表示，他们正准备提起上诉。
因杀害阿瓦达警官狄龙·瓦科夫被判终身监禁不得假释
