In late December 2019, the family of Gayland Delanore Allen, Jr., a 24-year-old male, grew concerned when he stopped returning their phone calls. His father went to his home in Aurora, Colorado, on December 28th and reviewed security camera footage. The video showed his son getting into the backseat of a car just before 1 a.m. that morning; the vehicle then sped away. Two days later, on December 30th, Gayland was formally reported missing to the Aurora Police Department.
Initially, the case was treated as a standard missing person report. However, several days into the investigation, circumstances emerged that suggested a more serious situation. On January 1, 2020, the investigation shifted dramatically when human remains were discovered in the foothills of Jefferson County. The body, found in Golden on Lookout Mountain, was soon identified as Gayland Allen, Jr. The Arapahoe County Coroner's Office determined that he had died from a gunshot wound, and his death was officially ruled a homicide.
The investigation quickly led to the arrests of two juveniles, a 15-year-old female and a 17-year-old male, who were both charged with first-degree murder. The male suspect was identified as Xavion Johnson. The story that unfolded was a tragic encounter that began as a marijuana sale. Allen had arranged to meet a teenage girl to sell her the substance. She arrived in a vehicle with three other juveniles, including Johnson. When Allen got into the car to complete the transaction, Johnson, who was reportedly distraught over the shooting death of his cousin at the Aurora mall the previous day, aimed a gun at Allen's head and fired a single shot.
Following the shooting, Johnson instructed the driver to head to Lookout Mountain. There, they abandoned Allen's body over a guardrail. In a turn of events, three of the teenagers who were in the car during the murder were arrested later that same day in Denver for shoplifting. This arrest helped investigators link them to Allen's killing. The juveniles who were with Johnson later told police that he had made comments earlier that night, stating, 'I'm going to catch a body tonight, and I don't care who it is.' An Aurora judge later sentenced Xavion Johnson to 48 years in prison for the 'utterly senseless' killing. The other teens involved also faced charges, with two being sentenced as juveniles.
