A Boulder man will be sentenced for attacking another man with special needs with a tree branch in 2023.

Derek Jordan pleaded guilty to first-degree assault on an at-risk person on Thursday in connection to the attack on Marius Suffian that occurred nearly two years ago, according to a news release from the 20th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.

The attack occurred around 1:30 p.m. on Sept. 23, 2023 near Junction Place and Goose Creek Path. Suffian was walking home from work when Jordan hit him more than a dozen times with a tree branch, including multiple times in the face and while Suffian was on the ground. 

The victim sustained facial injuries, including a nasal fracture and a complex facial laceration with a laceration to his tear duct, according to the release.

Officers with the Boulder Police Department arrived within two minutes and arrested Jordan. Jordan did not have a permanent address and was “believed to have been living among Boulder’s unhoused community,” the city said in a news release at the time. “Detectives are investigating whether the suspect had been using drugs, specifically methamphetamine, prior to the alleged attack.”

The guilty plea does not include any charges related to drug use.

Jordan faces 25 to 32 years in prison and will be sentenced on Nov. 3.

“Due to the nature of this unjustified and senseless attack, community members and police officers quickly responded to support the victim. The person responsible for this brutal assault was quickly arrested and, with this guilty plea and sentence, he will be held fully responsible for his actions,” District Attorney Michael Dougherty said in the release.