BRIGHTON, Colo. — An Adams County man was sentenced to 35 years in prison earlier this month after he was convicted of second-degree murder in the murder of a man in mid-2021.
Louis Sandoval, 34, plead guilty to second-degree murder in January in connection with the murder June 7, 2021, murder of Thomas Downing.
Prosecutors said that Sandoval met Downing at the Village Pub in Thornton the night of June 6, 2021, and the two bonded over their shared Marine Corps background. Hours later, police and fire were dispatched to Downing’s apartment along W. 91st Ave. in response to a structure fire.
Inside, first responders found Downing’s body. He had been stabbed in the side of the chest and his neck had been slashed three times, according to investigators.
After an extensive investigation with involved using DNA evidence, surveillance footage and cell phone location data, police were able to connect Sandoval to the crime.
On Jan. 25, 2024, Sandoval pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and a sentence enhancer of violent crime causing death/serious bodily injury. On April 19, District Judge Jeffrey Smith sentenced Sandoval to 35 years in the Department of Corrections and said this was one of the more aggravated murders he had seen in his time on the criminal bench, according to a spokesperson.
“The brutality and senselessness of this crime is beyond words,” said District Attorney Brian Mason. “This defendant built a connection with the victim that evening and then, for reasons we may never know, murdered the victim in cold blood. I'm thankful to the Thornton Police Department and my team at the DA’s Office for their diligent work on this case.”
