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Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa has been found guilty of fatally shooting 10 people at South Table Mesa King Soopers in Boulder, Colorado on March 22, 2021, per CBS News.
On Monday (September 23), jurors reached the guilty verdict in the Boulder grocery store shooting trial. Alissa was found guilty of 10 counts of first-degree murder, 38 counts of attempted first-degree murder, one count of assault in the first degree, and six counts of possession of a large capacity magazine during the commission of a felony.
Jurors were tasked with determining whether Alissa, who admitted to the shooting, was legally sane at the time of the deadly attack.
During the trial, the prosecution brought forth witnesses who were in the store during the shooting and officers who responded to the scene. One woman testified that she heard the shooter saying "This fun" as he opened fire against customers at the grocery store.
Defense attorneys argued that Alissa was suffering from a mental illness and was unaware of right from wrong at the time of the shooting. Alissa had pleaded not guilty to all the charges by reason of insanity.
Following the jury's guilty verdict, a judge sentenced Alissa to life without the possibility of parole for each of the 10 counts of first-degree murder.
Governor Jared Polis released a statement, saying "Three years ago our community felt the unbearable pain of losing ten of our fellow Coloradans in a senseless attack on the Boulder community. That day loved ones, friends, and neighbors were taken from us far too soon by an act of pure evil. Today, justice is served."
"Though I know this guilty verdict won't heal the pain so many of us feel, or bring back those who were killed, I hope that it can provide some peace," Polis continued. "My thoughts are with the family members and friends of Eric Talley, Rikki Olds, Teri Leiker, Denny Stong, Suzanne Fountain, Tralona Bartkowiak, Neven Stanisic, Lynn Murray, Jody Waters, and Kevin Mahoney, as well as the entire Boulder community. We are all still Boulder Strong."
Alissa's brother told CBS News that his mental health changed over time.
"We know he changed since 2018 to 2021... three years of changing, it's not like overnight," he said.
"I feel bad and sorry for the victims, of course, if I was to put myself in their shoes, I probably would want him dead."
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