Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, Boulder King Soopers shooter, found guilty

BOULDER – A Boulder County jury on Monday found Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa guilty on 55 counts in the March 2021 mass shooting at a King Soopers that left 10 people dead.

Alissa killed Denny Stong, 20; Neven Stanisic, 23; Rikki Olds, 25; Tralona Bartkowiak, 49; Teri Leiker, 51; Boulder police officer Eric Talley, 51; Suzanne Fountain, 59; Kevin Mahoney, 61; Lynn Murray, 62; and Jody Waters, 65.

Relatives and friends of the victims cried as the judge read the first guilty verdict. Police officers in the courtroom took a deep breath and sighed as the guilty verdict for their fallen colleague was read.

Alissa shifted uncomfortably in his seat, sipping his water and chatting with his lawyer as Boulder County District Judge Ingrid Bakke read the verdict. His family sat stoically behind him.

The charges included ten counts of premeditated murder, one count of premeditated murder of a police officer and 38 counts of attempted premeditated murder.

The verdict will begin at 2:15 p.m.

Alissa's lawyers never denied that he was the shooter, but they tried to convince the jury that he was insane and could not distinguish right from wrong at the time of the shooting. Alissa was diagnosed with schizophrenia after the mass shooting and suffered auditory and visual hallucinations for several years before the attack. His defense team said he heard voices ordering him to shoot.

The jury began deliberating Friday afternoon, but then took a break over the weekend. They resumed deliberations at 9 a.m. Monday at the Boulder County Justice Center and reached a verdict by 12:30 p.m. Monday.

Testimony continued for ten days as people in the grocery store described the horror of the gunfire that had ripped through the store. People took shelter under the cash registers while others hid in the deli, bakery, coffee stand and offices.

A 79-year-old woman said she fell and broke her vertebrae. She prayed until a man picked her up and carried her to safety. A mother and her son, who were buying strawberries and tea, waited until they heard Alissa reload before running out of the supermarket.