RELATED: 'I hate that it was my gun,' says former Denver cop whose AK-47 was used in murder, RELATED: Survivor of deadly Denver Ballpark neighborhood attack endures in the midst of grief and growth. Simon and Joshua Thallas are seeking more than $100,000 for the injuries, damages and losses Simon and Joshua Thallas suffered, the documents say. The bill, which Isabella Thallas mother, Ana Hernandez Thallas, lobbied for, requires gun owners to report stolen firearms to law enforcement. Thallas mom, Ana Thallas, said her daughter was kind and humble: It didnt matter who you were or what you were. ga('ads.send', { Michael Close, 38, knew what he was doing when he killed Isabella Thallas, 21, and twice shot her boyfriend, Darian Simon, on June 10, 2020, as they encouraged their dog to defecate outside Closes apartment near Coors Field, the jury concluded. . Get the Android Weather app from Google Play, UK is grappling with vegetable shortages. In total, the complaint states eight claims for relief. Photo: Gofundme. Politica filed a resignation letter Feb. 13 and left DPD one month later for reasons unrelated to this case. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way, was the personal weapon of Denver police officer Dan Politica. hitType: 'event', Attorneys for Isabella Thallas' father, Joshua Thallas, and her boyfriend, Darian Simon, filed the lawsuit in Denver District Court on [] When buying cowboy boots, there are a few aspects to consider, such as how far up they go on your legs and their design. Michael Close is in custody for investigation of first-degree murder in connection with the June 10 murder of 21-year-old Isabella Thallas and the shooting of Darian Simon, the founder of the . Moreover, I am extremely proud of our prosecution team for their excellent work.. "We want to encourage people to come and just remember such a beautiful young lady," Rahn said. MEAWW is an initialism for Media Entertainment Arts WorldWide. Denver has an 8-11 record in games decided by 10 points or more. (Image via Denver Police Department) Because I know she's happy.". A Denver man who used an AK-47 to kill a woman and wound a man while the couple was walking their dog near Coors Field was found guilty of first-degree murder Thursday. Vote in our annual food bracket challenge. if(document.querySelector("#adunit")){ 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. ga('ads.send', { eventAction: 'click_ads' eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), Her response was immediate. I just kissed her forehead. She died of her injuries right on the spot. The man used an AK-47to carry out the crime while also wounding the womans boyfriend identified as Darian Simon. Close began to yell from his window about the dog. Michael Close, 36, is accused of shooting 21-year-old Isabella Thallas to death over a dispute about a dog pooping, officials said. Close was also ordered to pay more than $37,000 in restitution. Close shot and killed Isabella Thallas in 2020 and also tried to kill her boyfriend. According to a transcript of a November 2020 Denver District Court hearing, lead detective Joseph Trujillo testified that minutes before the shooting, Close sent a text to Politica. I felt it as a mom," Ana said. DENVER -- Newly obtained court testimony shows the alleged killer in Isabella Thallas murder last year texted and left a voicemail on the day of the shooting for a Denver police sergeant from whom he is accused of stealing a rifle used in the shooting. Thallas, 21, was killed last year by a gunman who used an AK-47 owned by a police officer. eventAction: 'click_image_ads' Contact: Carolyn Tyler, Communications Director, carolyn.tyler@denverda.org, 720-913-9025. Senate Bill 78, renamed the Isabella Joy Thallas Act in honor of a 21-year-old woman shot and killed in Denver last summer, requires a gun owner to report their lost or stolen firearm within five . In January, the Denver Police Department confirmed the AK-47 used in the shooting was the personal weapon of Denver police officer Dan . Nothing will ever take that away from the fact that my daughter is 6 feet underground. "Nothing will ever ease that pain. "We just want to wrap our arms around the family and help support and relieve some of that stress.". }); Prosecutors said Close then shouted to the couple, "Are you going to just yell at that dog or train it?". Members of Thallas family also cried as they heard the verdict. Trujillo told the court that the text said that Closes dog, Bella, was attacked by two dogs, and that he had full intentions of going back and murdering them., Trujillo later said that 10 minutes after the text, Close followed up with a call and voicemail to Politica where he said something along the lines of dude, Dan, I really f---ed up bad. Denver Police said an AR-15 and a handgun were found in the passenger-side floorboard of the Mercedes SUV he was driving at the time, as well as a gun belt and firearm magazines. Denver DA Beth McCann said in a prepared statement that she was delighted that her office was able to get justice for the victims. Close, a friend of the officer, took the firearm from the officer's home without his knowledge or permission, police said. pg.acq.push(function() { Updated by the minute, our Dallas Cowboys NFL Tracker: News and views and moves inside The Star and around the league . }) She also said work was ongoing to renovate the park that her daughters mural is watching over, and she is working with the city to rename the park. Close shot and killed Isabella Thallas in 2020 and also tried to kill her boyfriend. Isabella told her mom that she had outgrown Denver and wanted to live in New York or Europe. On June 7, 2020, the family had a birthday party for Isabella, who was turning 21, and for her sister Lucia. A man convicted of using an AK-47 to kill a woman and wound her boyfriend as they walked their dog has been sentenced to life in prison. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. "You know. The jury deliberated for a few hours Wednesday afternoon and into Thursday before one juror was excused and an alternate juror seated. The court documents filed on behalf of Simon and Isabella Thallas father, Joshua Thallas, name Close, former Denver police Sgt. } The two sisters' birthdays were only days apart. Friends shocked by the loss of Thallas hope the focus can remain on her life and the impact she had on others. The suspect, Michael Close, has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to the 16 charges he faces in connection to the shooting in broad daylight in . According to prosecutors, when Simon responded, "Mind your own business, Rocko is a good dog," Close grabbed an assault-style rifle and fired more than 20 shots, hitting and killing Thallas and seriously wounding Simon. A man from Denver, Colorado, was convicted of first-degree murder and attempted murder after he fatally shot at a dog-walking couple 24 times with an AK-47. It's a beacon to all those looking to heal. "I don't know if it was mommy's fault and I didn't take enough accountability for my actions. Twitter Isabella Thallas on the left and Michael Close in his booking photo on the right. It was around 11:40 a.m. and Thallas and Simon were walking their dog on Fox Street, near Coors Field. Jurors rejected defense attorneys argument that Close was criminally insane at the time of the unprovoked attack. He entered the plea in Denver District Court on Monday, March 8. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotRenderEnded', function(event) { After the shooting, Close called his ex-girlfriend and confessed that hed just killed two people, she testified. Michael Close, 38, had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, but a jury on Thursday convicted him in the shooting after concluding that he knew what he was doing when he gunned down Isabella Thallas and wounded her boyfriend, Darian Simon, the Denver Post reported. Opinion: Colorado farms going fallow? A sheriffs deputy handcuffed him after the jury left the courtroom. Honor Bella. DENVER The father and boyfriend of 21-year-old Isabella Thallas, who was killed in a shooting while walking her dog in June 2020, have filed a lawsuit against the suspect and a former Denver police sergeant whose gun was used in the shooting. The complaint also states the ammunition and weapon taken from Politica were not stored in a weapons locker. Shelly Bradbury is the courts reporter at the Denver Post. "The Lord called her home and she is resting in peace with Him.". Close, as per Denver police homicide investigator Joseph Trujillo, yelled out of the window as the duo urged their pet to go potty saying, Are you going to train that f*****g dog or just yell at it?Close then grabbed his AK-47, which he reportedly had taken from a friend who was a Denver police sergeant, and fired 24 shots. She said it will give a voice for a voiceless and those that dont have murals like this and dont have places to go and mourn their children or whomever they have lost to gun violence. A candlelight vigil was held in her honor Thursday evening, and Thallas's mother, Ana Hernandez Thallas, spoke with Anne Trujillo in an exclusive interview. Denver jury finds suspect guilty in fatal Ballpark neighborhood shooting. Business; Politics; Military; Elections; Law; Immigration; Technology. She said Thallas had just turned 21 days before she was killed. The complaint document states Close intended to harm both Isabella Thallas and Simon. Deliberations then started over at about 11:15 a.m Thursday and ended around 2 p.m. "It's not be a good white person, be a good black person, be a good straight person," Simon said in November 2019. A Denver man charged with fatally shooting a woman and wounding her boyfriend during a confrontation over dog poop has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.. Michael R. Close, 37, entered the . Denver7 reached out to the Denver Police Department, but the department declined a request for an interview citing the pending criminal trial. The murderer was Politicas friend and confidante who somehow obtained the illegal (in Denver) assault weapon and prohibited (in Colorado) large capacity magazines filled with ammunition. Isabella Thallas. Thallas mother Anna Thallas after Close got convicted of murder, said, Weve been waiting two and a half years for this day and what happened in there just went by almost as fast as my daughter was slaughtered. Being completely emotional, she continued, And our lives were changed forever. Anna later tweeted that hearing the handcuffs click was music to my ears.Isabella Thallas father, Joshua Thallas, told reporters outside the courtroom that there is no justice in this compared to the amount of loss caused by Closes poor choices. Sonja Prins, who is Closes public defender, stated that he had suffered a mental breakdown. Weeks after Isabella's killer was found guilty, Ana Thallas sat down with 9NEWS to talk about her daughter, the shooting, the trial, and the heartbreak of a mother enduring the unthinkable. Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite. Hunter who killed pet dogs says he thought they were coyotes,A hunter who told authorities he killed and skinned what he thought were two coyotes, but. Speaking of her boyfriend, Simon was shot in the leg and buttocks but survived the gruesome attack. The National Read Across America Day takes place every year on March 2, Geisels birthday. ga('ads.send', { A Denver judge on Friday sentenced Michael Close to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Isabella Thallas in 2017. A 38-year-old Colorado man will spend the rest of his life behind bars for fatally shooting a 21-year-old woman and wounding her boyfriend by using an assault-style rifle in a dispute over a pooping dog. "And it was difficult. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), The . There is no justice in this, he said. Hundreds of people gathered to remember her days after the shooting, and a Denver park was renovated in her memory, with a mural painted by a local artist.