Man Sentenced To 18 Years For Killing Panhandler
CENTENNIAL, Colo. (AP) - A 29-year-old man who killed a panhandler near an Aurora intersection has been sentenced to 18 years in prison.
The Arapahoe County District Attorney's Office says Daniel Lee Rice, of Aurora, was sentenced Thursday for the Aug. 14, 2013, death of 49-year-old Ricky Thompson. Rice was convicted in August of first-degree assault and manslaughter.
Prosecutors say he ran across six lanes of traffic, charged Thompson and punched him in the head and torso. Thompson, who witnesses said was blindsided by the attack, suffered broken ribs and bleeding from the brain.
Investigators say Rice told them he wanted Thompson to leave the neighborhood so he gave the homeless man a "love tap."
District Attorney George Brauchler says "our laws protect our neighbors regardless of their wealth. The victim had his life unjustifiably stolen from him for being homeless."
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