On a summer afternoon in Arvada, Colorado, a long-standing family dispute turned deadly, claiming the life of 26-year-old Raymond Jutting. On June 27, 2020, Jutting arrived at a residence on Marshall Street where a verbal argument with his cousin, Isiah Bennett, escalated. The confrontation, which began inside the house, spilled outside, with Jutting in the front yard and Bennett remaining indoors, the argument continuing through an open window.
The heated exchange culminated in Bennett
firing multiple shots at Jutting. When Arvada police officers responded to the scene, they discovered Jutting in the front yard with multiple gunshot wounds. Despite immediate life-saving efforts by officers and the Arvada Fire Department, Jutting was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities later noted that Jutting had a cast on his arm and was unarmed at the time of the shooting. An investigation revealed that of the nine shots that struck him, all but one were to his back.
Isiah Bennett, who was 24 at the time, was arrested and initially charged with first-degree murder. He claimed that he acted in self-defense, telling investigators he feared Jutting was going to retrieve a rifle from his car. However, prosecutors argued it was an execution, not self-defense. In January 2022, Bennett pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of second-degree murder. In April of that same year, a judge sentenced him to 30 years in prison for the death of his cousin. Family members described Raymond Jutting as a loving husband, father, brother, and son.
