ADAMS COUNTY, Colo. – A 33-year-old Thornton man convicted in May of murder in the March 2018 shooting death of his neighbor over an argument about the neighbor’s girlfriend’s dog was sentenced Monday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Michael Kourosh Sadeghi was convicted in early May of first-degree murder after deliberation in the killing of 42-year-old Dustin Schmidt.
According to police and prosecutors, Schmidt’s girlfriend’s German shepherd mix jumped the fence into Sadeghi’s yard and was found hanging by his leash.
Sadeghi confronted Schmidt and the two got in an argument, during which Sadeghi shot Schmidt from over the fence.
Schmidt was shot four times and died at the scene. A jury convicted Sadeghi after deliberating for just two hours, and he faced a mandatory life without parole sentence.
Chief Deputy 17th District Attorney Stephanie Fritts said in a statement that Sadeghi showed an “astounding” lack of remorse.
“He keeps talking about how he’s the victim and wrongly convicted. Dustin Schmidt was on the other side of the fence and was unarmed. The shooting took place after an argument this defendant began. He made the decision that day to murder Dustin Schmidt,” she said.