Thomas Harker Jr.

Thomas Harker Jr., a 55-year-old man, was shot and killed in the small mountain community of Alma, Colorado, on the night of November 10, 2025. The incident began to unfold at approximately 8:15 p.m. when a man called 911 to report that he had just shot someone. Deputies from the Park County Sheriff’s Office responded to the location just outside the town limits and found Harker suffering from gunshot wounds. They immediately attempted lifesaving measures, but he died at the scene.

The man who placed the 911 call was 35-year-old Benjamin Rector, a local resident who had purchased a home in Alma in 2018. He remained in the area as deputies arrived and was taken into custody without delay. Officers who responded noted that Rector was visibly shaken, smelled of alcohol, and was wearing an empty gun holster on his hip. Inside the home, they found Harker motionless on the floor with a gunshot wound to his chest. Rector was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder and booked into the Park County Jail, where he was held without bond.

The investigation soon revealed that the shooting was the result of a volatile dispute between roommates. Harker had been living with Rector for about a month without a formal lease. The conflict escalated when Rector returned from a multi-week trip to Iowa and found his home in what deputies described as complete disarray, with a horrible odor, stacked objects, and tossed furniture. Harker, who sometimes identified as a "monk," had reportedly sent Rector disturbing messages and refused to leave the property, claiming squatter’s rights and allegedly making threats. Authorities had been called to the home prior to the shooting and had advised Rector that he would need to pursue a civil eviction.

Rector told dispatchers that he shot Harker after the man came at him with knives. Though he was initially facing a first-degree murder charge and a potential life sentence, Rector accepted a plea deal just three weeks before his jury trial was scheduled to begin.

On May 27, 2026, Rector pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter, admitting that he had shot and killed Thomas Harker Jr. In exchange for his plea, he avoided a trial and faced a sentence of up to six years in state prison. He was also ordered to pay restitution to Harker's family. The case was closed following the plea agreement in May 2026.