In the winter of 2017, the life of 36-year-old Terry Dwayne Capler was tragically cut short in his Aurora, Colorado home. On the morning of December 16th, police responded to a report of a shooting at a residence on Clinton Street. Inside, they discovered Capler's body in the living room; he had been shot in the head and torso. The Arapahoe County coroner would later rule his death a homicide.
The investigation into Capler's death revealed a gathering that had taken a fatal turn.
The evening before, Capler's roommate had picked up Marquez Woodruff, who was just shy of his 17th birthday, and his girlfriend, bringing them to Capler's home. The group spent time together, drinking alcohol and consuming drugs. For reasons that remain unclear, Woodruff pulled out a gun and shot Capler multiple times at close range. Following the shooting, Woodruff and his girlfriend fled the scene. Capler's roommate, who had hidden in a bedroom during the incident, eventually called the police.
Authorities were able to track down Woodruff and his girlfriend by tracing a phone they had used to communicate with Capler earlier that night. In September of the following year, a jury convicted Marquez Woodruff of first-degree murder. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years, a consideration given his age at the time of the crime.
Family members, including Capler's sister and daughter, spoke at the sentencing, expressing their profound loss. His daughter tearfully described him as her 'dad, my best friend, my rock, and my greatest supporter.' Terry Capler, a father of four, was remembered by his family as the 'glue' that held them together.
