Denver man convicted of murder in 2020 stabbing at Auraria Campus

A Denver man has been convicted of murder in a deadly stabbing that happened in 2020 at the Auraria Campus.

Gregory Stapleton was convicted by a jury on Monday of three charges, including first-degree murder and aggravated robbery. He stabbed 36-year-old Richard Ford III to death on Sept. 8, 2020 after a fight over cutting in line at a sock giveaway at St. Elizabeth's Church.

Stapleton fled the area after the stabbing, concealing his face with a medical mask, police said at the time, and was being sought by law enforcement for over a year. He was eventually arrested in January 2022 and formally charged the following month.

Stapleton faces a possible sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole when he's sentenced on Oct. 20.