Shooter who gunned down Northern Colorado teenagers sentenced to 40 years in prison
A Loveland man who shot two teenagers during a carjacking attempt in 2023 will spend the next 40 years in prison. Oscar Perez Jr., one of two gunmen in the carjacking, was sentenced for his role on Thursday afternoon.
Perez reached a plea agreement with prosecutors, agreeing to plead guilty to second-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder. In turn, he received a 40-year sentence for the murder of Nasier Graham. He also received two 20-year sentences for the attempted murders of Graham's friends, which will run concurrent to his 40-year sentence.
At Perez's sentencing on Thursday, the courtroom was filled with dozens of Graham's friends and family members.
"Nas was a great person," said Isaiah Bazaldua, one of Graham's best friends. "Not many court cases do you got (sic) this many supporters."
Perez and two other teenagers used a stolen pickup truck to search Loveland for a car to steal in January of 2023. Police found video of them scouring the community until they found the vehicle they wanted to target.
The investigation determined Perez and the others consumed alcohol and cocaine before the carjacking.
Graham's grandmother, Yvonne Brooks, said she was inside the home near the scene of the shooting as her grandson was killed.
"I heard the shots and went outside, and I had seen his boots," Brooks told CBS News Colorado. "The way they murdered my grandson was disgusting."
The court found that Perez exited the truck with a rifle and fired the gun at least 10 times at Graham. Graham's two friends, a male and female teenager, were also fired upon as they tried to run away. Perez fired at them an additional seven times, striking one of the teens. That teenager had significant trauma to his arm but survived.
One other teenager in the car, Vincent Zamora, was previously sentenced to 40 years for his role in the carjacking. He fired a shotgun.
Judge Daniel McDonald claimed this case was the most disturbing cold-blooded murder he has ever dealt with. He said both Perez and Graham were leaders, but noted they were two different kinds of leaders.
McDonald said Graham brought his friends together and uplifted them, while Perez brought his friends together to commit crime.
"I can't even wrap my head around what in the world was going on," McDonald said. "Mr. Perez's actions are absolutely reprehensible."
Perez spoke to the judge and victims during his sentencing. He apologized for his actions shortly after his father apologized to the victims as well. His father told the victims he wished he could give his life in return for Graham's, claiming he doesn't know where he went wrong to have raised a son who would take another person's life.
Perez said before the court he lies in his jail cell at night and wishes he could switch places with Graham.
"I didn't want to kill him. I was a young and dumb kid," Perez said. "I continue to pray to God that God will give the families the strength to deal with this loss."
McDonald questioned if Perez was truly remorseful, noting he fired 17 times at the innocent teens, all in an effort to steal a $3,000 vehicle for fun.
"It is hard for me to tell if that is true remorse or him realizing he wasted his entire life," McDonald said. "He is a violent and dangerous, cold-blooded murderer. That is what he is."
After Perez, who was shackled and wearing a dress shirt and sweater vest, was taken to serve his sentence, Graham's friends and family said they are ready to move past this phase of their mourning process.
"The demons are gone. They are put to rest," Graham's sister said.
"We can just celebrate his life now. Instead of grieving about anything, we can now celebrate the life he got to live," said Lexi Hensley, Graham's girlfriend.
