Officials said after killing the Rolands and setting fire to the car, Brown posted pictures of himself online with the stolen money and relisted the car. — Image by Freepik
A 20-year-old was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences in prison without parole for the killing of a Colorado couple during a robbery, officials said.
In August 2020, Kyree Brown used a fake name to post a stolen car for sale online, according to a Jan 4 news release from the Office of the District Attorney for the 18th Judicial District.
Joseph Roland talked with Brown on the Letgo app, which is similar to eBay, about buying the used Toyota RAV4 SUV for US$3,000 (RM13,182), officials said.
Roland and his wife, Jossline, met Brown at a mall parking lot around 11pm on Aug 14 in Aurora, according to the release.
Brown lured the Rolands to another location where he demanded the cash they brought to purchase the car, officials said. During the robbery, Brown shot them and fled with the money.
“My parents were and always will be the two most giving, compassionate, helpful, kind and selfless people I’ve ever met,” Madison Roland, the couple’s oldest daughter, said in the release. “We will never get to experience anything as a family ever again.”
After leaving the scene, Brown abandoned the car and set it on fire, according to the release.
In addition to two counts of murder, Brown was convicted of aggravated robbery, aggravated motor vehicle theft, arson and bait advertising, officials said.
Officials said after killing the Rolands and setting fire to the car, Brown posted pictures of himself online with the stolen money and relisted the RAV4.
“The world lost an amazing couple and some of the best parents that I have ever known over some money and a scam,” Sammy Jo Boumadi-Heckerman, Jossline’s sister, said in the release. “A person that clearly didn’t care about what is right or what is wrong didn’t just steal money, he stole our family.”
The Rolands had five children ages 17, 12, 10, 8 and 4, officials said.
In December, the Roland family filed a lawsuit against Letgo accusing them of playing a role in their parents’ death after the app allowed Brown to be a verified user, according to Colorado Politics. A US federal judge ruled that the app should not be held liable.
“While no sentence will bring back these two loving parents, this life sentence ensures that the defendant will never have the ability to hurt another innocent person or family,” Senior Deputy District Attorney Jake Adkins said in the release. “I hope the Roland family can find some peace and closure now that justice has been served.”
Aurora is about 10 miles east of Denver. – The Charlotte Observer/Tribune News Service
