In the summer of 2011, Army Sergeant Anthony Silva, a 25-year-old man, found himself in Denver, Colorado, at a Motel 6 on Paris Street, following a series of unfortunate events. His plans to re-enlist in the Army had been thwarted by a back injury, and his subsequent flight home to Illinois was canceled. While waiting for his father to arrive and drive him home, Silva was tragically killed.
In the early morning hours of July 23, he was found shot to death in the street after reportedly taking his dog for a walk. The investigation into his death would soon reveal a fateful encounter and a cryptic final message to his parents that read, “In some shit but ok. Call me 2morrow.”
The investigation led police to 22-year-old Ricky Scott. Evidence gathered included text messages between Silva and a phone traced to Scott, as well as DNA evidence found on Silva's hand that matched Scott's. A confidential informant later told police that Silva had arranged to buy $200 worth of marijuana from Scott and his associates. According to the informant, a fight broke out in a rental car, during which one of Scott's companions allegedly beat Silva with a baseball bat before Scott shot him multiple times. Despite this account, when Silva's body was discovered, he had $100 in cash on him and no marijuana.
Ricky Scott was arrested on August 26, 2011, and charged with the murder of Anthony Silva. In December 2012, a jury found Scott guilty of first-degree murder. While he was acquitted of felony murder and attempted aggravated robbery, the first-degree murder conviction carried a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Silva's parents, who traveled from Illinois for the sentencing, spoke of their heartbreak at losing their son just as he was returning home to start the next chapter of his life after his military service.
