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Former MMA Fighter Lumumba Sayers Convicted of Second-Degree Murder in 2024 Park Shooting

Prosecutors said he targeted Malcolm Watson over a perceived link to his son's 2023 killing.

Overview

  • An Adams County jury, which delivered its verdict Monday, found Sayers guilty of second-degree murder, tampering with evidence, and attempted tampering.
  • Watson, 28, was shot at his five-year-old son's birthday party at Pioneer Park in Commerce City on August 12, 2024.
  • Jurors acquitted Sayers of first-degree murder, removing the mandatory life sentence, and Judge Jeffrey Ruff set sentencing for July 24.
  • Prosecutors argued Sayers believed Watson was connected to the 2023 shooting that killed his son, and reporting says Sayers had just left an anti-violence rally he helped lead.
  • Watson's girlfriend said the conviction brought relief after months of grief and confusion, and she urged people to step back from retaliatory violence.