In the spring of 2018, the life of 20-year-old Marcus Howard Denton was tragically cut short in Colorado Springs, Colorado. On the evening of April 21st, Denton and a companion, 21-year-old Serena Lee Garcia, were found deceased inside a parked car. The discovery was made in the 300 block of Bergamo Way, near Lower Gold Camp Road. Both victims had sustained fatal gunshot wounds in what police would soon investigate as a double homicide.
The investigation into the deaths of Denton and
Garcia quickly led to the identification of a suspect. Nashid Rayon Rivers, who was 19 years old at the time, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in connection with the killings. A second individual, Marquis Hazard, was also implicated and charged with first-degree murder under the theory of complicity, accused of assisting in the planning and cover-up of the crime.
Prosecutors laid out a harrowing sequence of events, stating that the motive behind the murders was a scheme to steal marijuana from Denton. The plot involved luring Denton to what he believed was a drug transaction. Garcia, who was a nursing student at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, was tragically caught in the ambush after picking Denton up because his own vehicle had crashed on a snowy road. It was revealed that Rivers ambushed the pair from inside their car, shooting both of them in the head. In a failed attempt to destroy evidence, Rivers then used gasoline to set the vehicle on fire, accidentally burning himself in the process which caused him to flee without the marijuana he had intended to steal.
In May of 2021, a jury found Nashid Rayon Rivers guilty of two counts of first-degree murder, as well as aggravated robbery and tampering with human bodies. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Another individual, Shailynn Ryles, pleaded guilty to accessory to murder for her role in the crime after agreeing to testify against Rivers. The tragic incident left two families mourning the loss of their loved ones. Denton, originally from Atchison, Kansas, was remembered by friends and family for his love of music and baseball.
