In the small city of Florence, Colorado, the holiday season of 2018 was tragically marked by the death of 40-year-old Amanda Marie Yellico. On the afternoon of December 23rd, a friend discovered Yellico deceased inside a residence on West Second Street and immediately alerted the authorities. When police arrived at the scene, they encountered 59-year-old Thomas Randall Addington.
The investigation into Yellico's death quickly led to the arrest of Addington.
He was subsequently charged with several serious offenses, including second-degree murder, criminally negligent homicide, reckless endangerment, and prohibited use of a weapon. The case revealed that Yellico had been staying at Addington's home. On the day of her death, an altercation occurred, and Addington, from his basement, fired a semiautomatic rifle into the ceiling. A bullet fragment from the barrage of 15 shots struck and killed Yellico, who was upstairs at the time.
Addington's legal defense centered on Colorado's 'Make My Day' law, which under certain circumstances justifies the use of deadly force against an intruder. His defense argued that because he had asked Yellico to leave his home, her presence had become unlawful. However, the court did not accept this argument, pointing out that Yellico had initially been an invited guest. In January 2020, a jury found Addington guilty of second-degree murder, and he received a 38-year prison sentence.
The legal battle did not end there. In October 2023, the Colorado Court of Appeals overturned Addington's conviction, citing a faulty jury instruction, which necessitated a new trial. The second trial took place in June 2024, and once again, a jury found Thomas Randall Addington guilty of second-degree murder. He was resentenced to 38 years in the Department of Corrections for the death of Amanda Yellico.
