In the winter of 2018, just two days before the start of his spring semester at Colorado State University, 21-year-old Finnegan Daly's promising future was tragically cut short. On January 14, the senior with a double major in Business and Political Science died from a gunshot wound in the off-campus house he shared with roommates in Fort Collins. Initially, his death was ruled an accidental, self-inflicted gunshot wound by the police, a conclusion that brought a swift, though unsettling,
closure to the official investigation.
The narrative provided by his roommate, Colemann Carver, was that Daly had turned the gun on himself. However, Finnegan's family was plagued by doubts and inconsistencies in the official account. Their relentless pursuit of the truth led them to uncover a crucial piece of evidence that had been overlooked by investigators: a Snapchat photo taken just moments before the fatal shot. The image showed Carver holding the very gun that killed Finnegan, a Glock 34, contradicting his initial statements to the police. This discovery cast a new and suspicious light on the events of that night.
The emergence of the Snapchat photo prompted the Fort Collins police to take the rare step of reopening the investigation. This second inquiry brought to light that Carver had been drinking with Daly and had posed for pictures with his firearms just before the shooting. It was also revealed that in the chaotic minutes after the gunshot, Carver admittedly tampered with the scene, removing the magazine from the gun, throwing away beer cans, and even using mouthwash before 911 was called.
While Carver was not suspected of shooting his roommate, he faced legal consequences for his actions following the incident. He was ultimately charged with felony tampering with physical evidence, misdemeanor prohibited use of a weapon, and misdemeanor reckless endangerment. In a plea agreement, Carver pleaded guilty to the felony charge of tampering with evidence. He received a two-year deferred sentence, meaning the felony would be cleared from his record if he successfully completed his probation. The resolution left Finnegan Daly's family with lingering questions and a profound sense of injustice, believing the full story of their son's final moments had yet to be told.
