Colorado Man Gets Life For Killing 3 At Illegal Marijuana Grow
BOULDER, Colo. (AP/CBS4) -- A 26-year-old Colorado man will serve life in prison after being convicted of felony first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of three people at an illegal marijuana grow operation. The Daily Camera reports that Garrett Coughlin was sentenced in the 2017 killings Monday after jurors reached the guilty verdicts following a day and a half of deliberations. Each count carried a sentence of life without parole.
Lance and Kelly White were found dead on their home on Divide View in Coal Creek Canyon on April 15, 2017.
Emory Fraker, described as a caretaker for the Whites, was murdered at the same time as the couple.
The three victims were shot execution style, according to investigators.
Prosecutors said Coughlin killed the trio because he wanted to steal money and marijuana to feed his drug addiction. Witnesses say two days after the homicides, Coughlin was seen with large quantities of marijuana that was packaged consistent with that of the victims. He also was seen with large quantities of cash.
Coughlin traveled out of state to visit his cousin after the murders occurred and left behind a gun, which was retrieved by detectives.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation performed ballistics comparisons between the gun collected from out of state and a slug removed from one of the victims during the autopsy. The CBI identified the slug as having been fired from the gun left behind by Garrett.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)