Legal Niches

Xbox Murderer Gets Two Life Sentences

By james_fudge

El Paso County, Colorado Fourth Judicial District Judge Deborah Grohs sentenced 23-year-old Derek Lee Hernandez to two mandatory life sentences in prison (without parole) Friday for the January 2009 murder of 22-year-old Jason Holley. The judge issued the sentence -- including 32-years for the robbery -- along with a strong rebuke to the convicted murderer of the mentally disabled man.

A jury (six men, six women) spent nine hours over a two day period to find Hernandez guilty on all counts including first-degree murder, conspiracy, aggravated robbery and robbery from an at-risk adult in the January 5, 2009, slaying of Jason Holley.

Detectives found Holley's partially nude remains four months after the murder when Kyle Stott led them to a ravine on May 8, 2009. According to prosecutors, Holley was nearly beheaded with a double-edged blade in January 2009, to cover up the theft of his Xbox 360 by the defendants.

During sentencing, Judge Grohs described the murder as a senseless crime and that the victim would have given Hernandez the Xbox 360 if he had asked for it. Read More

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Full post as published by GamePolitics.com on September 11, 2010 (boomark / email).