In the early morning hours of August 25, 2021, 71-year-old Michael Lewis, a male resident of Broomfield, Colorado, was fatally shot while confronting an individual breaking into cars in his Sunridge Circle neighborhood. A United States Army veteran, Lewis was known by his family as someone who lived his life to protect others, a sentiment echoed by his final actions.
The incident unfolded when Lewis approached Joseph Maestas-Sanchez, who was 22 years old at the time, as he was breaking
into vehicles. During the confrontation, Maestas-Sanchez shot Lewis in the head and fled the scene. Lewis was pronounced dead at the location. Investigators were able to utilize a fingerprint found at the scene and GPS data from an ankle monitor Maestas-Sanchez was wearing for a previous offense to place him at the scene of the crime. Ring doorbell video from a neighbor also captured two vehicles in the area, with individuals getting out to check car handles, and showed Lewis running after one of the cars before a gunshot was heard.
Joseph Maestas-Sanchez was arrested on August 27, 2021, and charged in connection with the shooting. In April 2023, a jury found him guilty of Aggravated Motor Vehicle Theft and Criminal Trespass but could not reach a verdict on the Second-Degree Murder charge. A retrial on the murder charge commenced on August 28, 2023. After four days of trial and two days of deliberation, the jury found Maestas-Sanchez guilty of the lesser charge of Manslaughter. He was subsequently sentenced to 24 years in the Department of Corrections for the three convictions.
