Peyton Blitstein's family reacts to guilty verdict of Adam Holen, former police officer; "the emotions are all over"
On Tuesday, a jury found former Greenwood Village police Officer Adam Holen guilty of manslaughter in the deadly shooting of 17-year-old Peyton Blitstein.
Todd Blitstein spoke about his son shortly after the verdict was delivered.
"We are thankful that he's going to be, in essence, going away, paying for his crimes. But the emotions are all over the place because we've been dealing with it for 2-and-a-half years," Todd said.
His son had just turned 17 when he was killed in November 2021. Holen was no longer a police officer at the time of the deadly shooting. Doorbell video showed Holen confronting Blitstein and his friends about speeding through a southeast Aurora neighborhood. As the argument escalated, doorbell video showed both Holen and Blitstein pulling out guns and firing.
After the teen was hit, Holen performed CPR. According to an arrest affidavit, Holen admitted to pulling his gun first, saying he felt threatened. But he says the teen fired first, which the video could not clearly show.
"Don't take the law into your hands; take a breath before you make a decision in this case. Stuff like this isn't right, and you will be held accountable," said Todd.
It was a very emotional day for Peyton's family. Todd's grandmother passed away on Tuesday afternoon as they were awaiting a verdict.
"She wanted, of course, the max sentence. Peyton was her baby. They used to watch TV together, eat together all the time. Now, they are together," Todd said.
Sentencing for Holen is scheduled for May 20. Holen had been charged with second-degree murder, felony menacing and prohibited use of a weapon while drunk.
