Local news station KMGH reported that Raheem Benson, 18, was ordered to serve life in prison Friday in the death of 33-year-old Nicholas Lewis in Englewood by a court in Arapahoe County court Friday.
Benson allegedly targeted Lewis at random while the chef was walking home from a convenience store in October 2016.
Benson and Louis Lara-Macias, who was sentenced in December for Lewis’s death, killed Lewis on Oct. 1, 2016, near South Acoma Street and West Cornell Ave while Lewis was walking home from a convenience store.
Prosecutors said the then-16-year-old Benson shot him three times, including in the heart. Lewis was found lying on his back on the sidewalk and rushed to a hospital, where he later died.
Dumb, callous teens: After killing their robbery victim Raheem Benson and Louis Lara-Macias, posted pictures wearing the mask and brandishing the gun used for the crime
Benson and Lara-Macias were arrested in connection with the case after investigators traced a stolen car out of Denver on Sept. 28, 2016, and were able to connect the suspects to the murder of the Denver chef.
The district attorney’s office said Benson took to Facebook after the shooting and posed with the mask he wore and a gun he used the night he killed Lewis during a robbery attempt.
Benson then reportedly took to Facebook to brag about the slaying. He also posted photos in which he posed with the mask he wore and the gun he used. committing the crime.
Investigators linked Benson to the crime from a vehicle seen on security camera footage.
He was found guilty of first-degree felony murder, second-degree murder and attempted aggravated robbery in March.
17-year-old Lara-Macias was sentenced to 21 years in prison, which will be served after he successfully serves seven years in the youth corrections system.
District Attorney George H. Brauchler expressed disappointment Friday that the teen’s sentence included the possibility of parole after 40 years.
“Benson murdered for the mere thrill of killing another person. At any age, this can only be described as evil,” Brauchler said.
“Colorado’s system is now set up to ensure that this cold-blooded murderer will again walk our streets, likely as early as in his 40s. We can only hope that his heart is turned away from darkness in the couple of decades he is incarcerated and we are safe from him.”
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