In the late hours of a summer night in Aurora, Colorado, the life of 19-year-old Mark Chalfant was tragically cut short. On June 4, 2014, the promising multi-sport athlete found himself in the parking lot of a Taco Bell on South Tower Road, a meeting that would prove to be fatal. An altercation broke out, and in the ensuing chaos, Chalfant was shot.
He was rushed to a nearby hospital but succumbed to his injuries.
The investigation into the shooting quickly revealed that it was not a random act of violence but rather a pre-planned robbery that had spiraled into murder. Chalfant had arranged to meet three teenagers in the parking lot to sell them a small amount of marijuana for $180. The buyers, however, had no intention of paying. Their plan was to rob Chalfant of the drugs, a street scheme they referred to as 'doing a lick.'
The individuals involved were identified as 18-year-old Calvin Banks, 17-year-old Sterling Hook, and 16-year-old Vincent Rucker. According to court documents, a fight erupted in the parking lot, during which Hook fired a gun, fatally wounding Chalfant. Police arriving at the scene discovered a gun and a bag of marijuana in Chalfant's vehicle. The three teens fled the scene on foot but were apprehended within a couple of weeks of the shooting.
All three were charged as adults with first-degree murder. Eventually, Sterling Dillon Hook pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of second-degree murder and in October 2015, was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Calvin Banks pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery and received a seven-year sentence in the state's Youthful Offender System. A fourth teenager was also arrested in connection with the case nearly a year after the incident. The tragic death of Mark Chalfant served as a stark reminder of the violent consequences that can arise from seemingly minor criminal enterprises.
