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Defendant sentenced to life in prison for shooting death at Lakewood motel on West Colfax Avenue

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:28 GMT

A defendant has been sentenced to life in prison for a shooting death at a Lakewood motel on West Colfax Avenue.Julian Joel Rivera, 36, was sentenced Friday in Jefferson County District Court for the murder of 29-year-old Geronimo Alvarado, according to a DA’s office news release. Rivera was convicted by a jury of first-degree murder on March 14 after a fire-day trial.“We thank the Lakewood Police Department for their investigation and the Jefferson County jury for ensuring justice was served in this case,” said Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Rhoads, in the release. “Mr. Rivera will spend the rest of his life in prison, and we hope his sentence brings some sense of closure to Mr. Alvarado’s family.”Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Two found shot to death in vehicle off U.S. 50 in Gunnison County Crime and Public Safety | Letecia Stauch guilty of murdering 11-year-old stepson Gannon, sentenced to life in prison Crime and Public Saf...

Keeler: Nuggets star Nikola Jokic hugged it out with Mat Ishbia. But was Ishbia trolling CU Buffs fans by bringing Mel Tucker back to Denver?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:28 GMT

Nikola Jokic got the last laugh after all. Or the first one, at least.After the Nuggets center completed warm-ups an hour before a massive Game 5 of their playoff semifinal with the Phoenix Suns, he spotted Mat Ishbia, with whom he’d sparred during Game 4 this past Sunday in Phoenix.As cameras closed in, the two-time NBA MPV dribbled over to the Suns owner’s courtside seat. He then gently handed him the basketball and gave the billionaire a big hug.A warm embrace won’t cover a $25,000 fine from the league, mind you. But it’s a start.With tensions diffused, those same cameras then panned over to Ishbia’s left, where the show before the game got even better. And stranger.In a twist we couldn’t make up if we tried, sitting two seats over from the mortgage billionaire and former Michigan State basketball player, wearing a bright Suns orange shirt, was a face we hadn’t seen around the Front Range in a while: former CU football coach Mel Tucker.Yep. Midnight Mel, whose departure from the ...

Sex offender who posed as immigration official in Aurora is sentenced for sexually assaulting a child

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:28 GMT

A sex offender who posed as an immigration official and sexually assaulted young girls was sentenced this week to four decades in prison.Kenneth Dean Lee, 66, was sentenced Monday in Arapahoe County District Court for sexually assaulting a 7-year-old girl, according to an Arapahoe County District Attorney’s Office news release.On Dec. 9, 2021, officers in Aurora were dispatched to an apartment complex to investigate a case where a man knocked on a resident’s door, identified himself as an immigration official and entered the apartment without permission, the release said.Two adults and a 7-year-old child, who were inside the home during the incident, told investigators the man “demanded” to speak with the girl alone in her bedroom. After the imposter left, the girl told her mother she had been sexually assaulted.Investigators used video surveillance from the apartment complex, the suspect’s vehicle, and a GPS ankle monitor, to connect Lee to the attack....

Dodgers' Mookie Betts rents Airbnb to avoid famed haunted hotel

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:28 GMT

The Los Angeles Dodgers are in Milwaukee this week for a three-game series with the NL Central-leading Brewers, and while team unity is important during long road trips, one Dodger star is keeping his distance from the rest of the team, "just in case."According to Orange County Register reporter Bill Plunkett, outfielder Mookie Betts rented an Airbnb with some friends while the rest of his Dodger teammates stayed in a legendary 130-year-old hotel in Milwaukee.The reason, Betts said, is due to long-rumored reports of hauntings and other creepy happenings at the Pfister Hotel.View of the Pfister Hotel from an East Wisconsin Avenue crosswalk in November 2022 (Casey Lovegrove/Unsplash)The Pfister Hotel is one of the most historic buildings in Milwaukee. The famed luxury hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has hosted billionaires, diplomats and more — it's also rumored to be home to an intrepid spirit or two. Betts, 30, who has stayed at the hotel in years pas...

Lawn thieves nick artificial turf in Studio City

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:28 GMT

A Studio City man has been working to fix his yard after he said artificial turf thieves made off with a portion of his lawn.  According to filmmaker Bryan Michael Stoller, the heist took place outside his townhome sometime last week. He said he first spotted the missing turf while taking his dog out for her morning walk.  “She went to do her business and we both realized that the lawn had been stolen,” Stoller told KTLA.  Another section of his lawn was lifted up, but he thinks the turf thieves must have given up, adding that it couldn’t have been easy to steal the lawn and the robbers likely knew what they were doing.  “I noticed there was a corner where it looked like they couldn’t get the whole thing up and so it looked like the rumpled remains of a carpet,” he said. “When they put down turf, it’s thousands of nails and special stakes. So, it’s really difficult to get it up. It must’ve been some kind of a special turf gang.” Stoller said after getting over hi...

Teen girls accused of robbing, stomping on victim in Berkeley

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:28 GMT

(KRON) -- The Berkeley Police Department is investigating an incident in which the victim was allegedly robbed and stomped on by a pair of teenage girls in Berkeley, according to the Berkeley Police Department. There have been no arrests in the case. Officers were dispatched to the area of Sacramento Street and Derby Street at about 5:10 p.m. on Sunday for the report of a robbery. The victim had several injuries, including an eye swollen shut and lacerations to her face and body. Two injured after shooting near Castlemont High School in Oakland According to police, the victim was pulled to the ground, hit, kicked, and her head was stomped on. The suspects also allegedly ripped a bag off the victim's shoulder and stole her cell phone.The suspects were described as 13-to-15-year-old Black girls with thin builds. Police said they left the scene in a black four-door sedan driven by a Black man in his 20s. BPD's robbery detectives are investigating the incident.

Castellanos powers Phillies to 8-4 win over Blue Jays

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:28 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Nick Castellanos went 3-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Toronto Blue Jays 8-4 on Tuesday night.Aaron Nola (3-2) allowed two runs on five hits over six innings to win his third straight decision. Brandon Marsh had a two-run double in the eighth inning and Alec Bohm had two hits for the Phillies, who have won two straight after snapping a six-game skid.Bo Bichette hit his eighth homer of the season for Toronto, which had swept a three-game set at Pittsburgh over the weekend. Alek Manoah (1-3) allowed three runs in 4 2/3 innings, throwing 94 pitches and getting only three swing-and-miss strikes.Castellanos struggled in the first year of his five-year, $100 million contract with Philadelphia in 2022. His batting average dropped from .309 in 2021 with Cincinnati to .263, and he hit only 13 homers a year after hitting 34.He has looked like his old self thus far this year. His batting average (.317) and slugging and on-base percenta...

2nd boat dismasts as Ocean Race fleet heads to Newport

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:28 GMT

NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) — Another boat has dismasted in the Ocean Race as the fleet approaches Newport, Rhode Island, for its only North American stopover. The GUYOT environnement – Team Europe crew was racing in fourth place overnight in gale force winds and heavy seas when the boat slammed off a wave and the mast crashed down. Despite worsening conditions, the crew was able to cut the wreckage of rigging away to avoid further damage to the boat, while preserving as much equipment as possible.The crew was reported to be safe and working on a jury rig. The boat is about 600 miles east of Newport. Race officials in Alicante, Spain, have been in contact with the crew, which has not requested outside assistance. The sailors and their shore crew are evaluating the next steps, which could include going to Halifax, Canada, or to be towed with a ship or a fishing boat to the United States.Earlier on Leg 4 from Itajai, Brazil, to Newport, overall race leader Holcim-PRB dismasted and headed...

Rutschman, bullpen lift Orioles to 4-2 win over Tampa Bay

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:28 GMT

BALTIMORE (AP) — Yennier Cano has been a sensation in the Baltimore bullpen these last few weeks, and closer Félix Bautista is still overpowering.As the Orioles tried to protect a lead against baseball’s top team, manager Brandon Hyde leaned heavily on them both.“The last three innings didn’t quite go the way we drew it up,” Hyde said.Cano and Bautista got the final nine outs for Baltimore in a 4-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night. The Orioles held on after Adley Rutschman homered and Grayson Rodriguez pitched into the sixth inning. Baltimore snapped a three-game losing streak, its longest mini-slump of the season.The Orioles pulled within 5 1/2 games of the major league-leading Rays. Tampa Bay won the opener Monday in a three-game series between the American League’s top teams.“They’re very good. They’ve got some big arms in the back end of their bullpen,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “They’re very athletic, and we’re see...

Nikola Jokic jokingly tosses basketball to Suns owner Ishbia

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:28 GMT

DENVER (AP) — The sideline fracas between Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic and Suns owner Matt Ishbia over the weekend apparently is a case of basketball bygones.Jokic, who was fined $25,000 by the NBA for making contact with Ishbia during Game 4, flipped the ball to Ishbia at midcourt Tuesday night after he finished warming up ahead of Game 5.Ishbia laughed as he caught the ball and rose to greet Jokic. The two men shared a “bro hug,” and brief comments before Jokic continued toward the tunnel with a smile and Ishbia, also grinning, rolled the ball back onto the court.Things weren’t so congenial between the two 48 hours earlier when Jokic tried to snatch the ball from the new Suns owner who was sitting courtside after a Suns player knocked it out of bounds and fell into the seats.Ishbia wouldn’t let go, preventing Jokic from quickly handing it to an official for a 5-on-4 break. Jokic took exception and elbowed Ishbia, drawing a techinical foul.Ishbia lobbied the league no...