The man charged with killing 10 people in a Colorado supermarket in 2021 was found guilty Monday of 10 counts of murder. Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, 25, was charged with 10 counts of murder and a slew of other charges including attempted murder, assault and weapons charges. A jury delivered the ruling after a two-week trial in a case that faced long delays while Alissa's mental health was addressed. He was found competent to stand trial in 2023 after time at a mental hospital, USA Today reports. Not in dispute at trial were the facts of the case: on March 22, 2021, Alissa opened fire at a Boulder, Colo., King Soopers grocery store, killing two people in the parking lot and eight people in the store. Alissa pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity and his defense team argued he was so mentally ill at the time that he couldn't tell right from wrong and shouldn't be held legally responsible. The 10 killed ranged in age from 20 to 65 and included a police officer, customers and store employees.
Alissa's conviction means he will automatically receive a sentence of life imprisonment without parole under Colorado law. The state does not have the death penalty. The jury found Alissa guilty of all 55 counts against him: 10 counts of first-degree murder, 38 counts of attempted first-degree murder, one count of first-degree assault and six counts of felony possession of a prohibited large-capacity magazine. Alissa began opening fire at about 2:30 p.m. and took just over a minute to kill the majority of his victims. The shooting ended when Alissa was shot in the leg by a police officer. Prosecutors said Alissa was deliberate and calculated in his actions during the shooting, and hunted down his victims in an attempt to kill as many people as possible. Jurors heard from investigators, doctors and survivors of the shooting, and saw gruesome surveillance and body camera footage. Pharmacist Sarah Chen testified that while she was taking cover during the shooting, she heard Alissa say, "This is fun," multiple times. Assistant District Attorney Ken Kupfner told jurors that Alissa demonstrated a clear intent to kill because he continued to shoot victims who were still moving until they were dead. He said Alissa's decision to surrender showed that Alissa knew right from wrong and that his conduct was illegal.
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