A 50-year-old man who served a 17-year jail sentence for second-degree murder beginning in 1990 was sentenced to life in prison without parole for another murder committed last October, according to the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
William R. Taft, was found guilty of multiple charges, including first-degree murder, in the killing of 40-year-old Michael Dean Bryan. Taft refused to appear on Friday as Bryan’s family was scheduled to address him; however, they used the time to share memories of their loved one.
“Michael was an amazing person and is missed and loved by many,” said his wife, Leah Bryan, in a statement through the District Attorney’s Office. “Our hearts are broken without him. But he will always live on within us and through his son.”
On Oct. 24, 2020, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a gunshot wound.
During an investigation, detectives found security footage that showed Taft and Bryan fighting. During the altercation, Taft is seen standing over Bryan and firing a gun, according to the release from the District Attorney’s Office.
Taft was taken into custody and a gun identified as the murder weapon was found in the back of his Jeep.
Taft was previously sentenced to 24 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder charges in Denver. He was released in 2007 for that 1989 murder.
“The defendant’s violent history has now resulted in two murders,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Alexandra Brady. “Our community is a safer and healthier place now that he is guaranteed to spend the rest of his life in prison.”
Catch up with a rundown of the 7 most important and interesting stories delivered to your inbox every Thursday.
Success! Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter.
function subscribeSuccess() {
var nsltrform = document.querySelector(“#nsltr”);
var nsltrSuccess = document.querySelector(“#successnsltr”);
nsltrform.classList.add(“hideblock”);
nsltrSuccess.classList.remove(“hideblock”);
}
function validateEmail(email) {
return String(email)
.toLowerCase()
.match(
/^(([^()[].,;:s@”]+(.[^()[].,;:s@”]+)*)|(“.+”))@(([[0-9]{1,3}.[0-9]{1,3}.[0-9]{1,3}.[0-9]{1,3}])|(([a-zA-Z-0-9]+.)+[a-zA-Z]{2,}))$/
);
}
function validateEmailAddress() {
const result = document.querySelector(“#result”);
const email = document.querySelector(“#email”).value;
result.innerText = “”;
if(validateEmail(email)) {
newsletterSubscribe(email);
} else {
result.innerText = ‘The email entered: ‘ + email + ‘ is not valid :(‘;
result.style.color = “red”;
}
return false;
}
function newsletterSubscribe(email) {
fetch(“https://services.gazette.com/mg2-newsletters.php?action=subscribe&site=denvergazette.com&emailPreferenceId=69&email=” + email, {
method: “POST”
}).then(res => {
console.log(“SUCCESSFUL POST”);
subscribeSuccess();
});
}
#nsltr {
min-width: 100%;
margin: 10px 0;
padding: 10px 20px;
background-color: #2076b3;
background-image: url(https://static.gazette.com/emails/circ/Audience%20Images/dg%20weekly%207.png);
background-size: cover;
}
#nsltr-header {
color: #fff4f4;
}
#nsltr-body {
text-align: center;
color: #ffffff;
}
#nsltr-button {
margin-top: 5px;
}
#successnsltr {
min-width: 100%;
margin: 10px 0;
padding: 10px 20px;
background-color: green;
text-align: center;
color: white;
}
#successnsltr a {
color: white;
}
.hideblock {
display:none;
}
h6 a {
color: black;
text-decoration: none;
padding: 5px;
background-color: #bbccdd;
font-weight: 600;
}
@media only screen and (min-width: 768px) {
#nsltr {
background-image: url(https://static.gazette.com/emails/circ/Audience%20Images/dg%20weekly%207.png);
background-size: cover;
}
}
