In December 1985, a male narcotics detective named Dennis Yaklich, aged 38, was fatally shot in the driveway of his Avondale, Colorado farmhouse. Initially, law enforcement suspected the murder was connected to his undercover work, but the investigation took a dramatic turn when a tip led them to two teenage brothers, Charles and Edward Greenwell.
Upon questioning, the Greenwell brothers confessed to the shooting and implicated Dennis's wife, Donna Yaklich, as the mastermind behind the
murder-for-hire plot. They testified that Donna had promised them payment to kill her husband. The motive presented by the prosecution was a significant life insurance policy totaling $250,000 that Donna stood to collect.
During her trial, Donna Yaklich's defense argued that she was a victim of domestic abuse, claiming her husband's use of steroids made him dangerously aggressive. She asserted that she hired the hitmen out of fear for her and her children's lives. Ultimately, the jury acquitted her of first-degree murder but found her guilty of conspiracy to commit murder. Donna Yaklich was sentenced to 40 years in prison for her role in her husband's death. The two brothers, Charles and Edward Greenwell, were also arrested and received prison sentences for carrying out the murder.
