Man sentenced to life in prison for killing man in Adams County

DENVER (KDVR) – An Adams County jury convicted a man this month of first-degree murder for fatally shooting a 24-year-old man in July 2023.

According to the 17th Judicial District Attorney's Office, the incident occurred on July 14, 2023, at 6 a.m. at a home on East 118th Avenue in Commerce City. Two women were involved in a physical fight over a dispute that had started earlier in the morning.

Omar Nieves, 29, was present during the fight, as was the victim, Miguel Antonio Chavez-Eagle, 24. Chavez-Eagle allegedly tried to stop the fight when Nieves fired, striking the victim in the forehead. Chavez-Eagle died at the scene, authorities said.

Nieves fled the shooting, but detectives identified Nieves as the suspect and were able to arrest him six days after the fatal shooting.

The jury trial lasted four days and the jury had a “rather short deliberation,” according to the 17th Judicial District Attorney's Office.

“This is a sad and tragic case in which an innocent victim was shot and killed for no reason,” prosecutor Brian Mason said in a statement. “It’s heartbreaking to see a young life cut short for nothing. Gun violence – particularly among youth – continues to plague this community and we now have another young victim who has died.

Senior Judge Theresa Cisneros sentenced Nieves to life in prison without the possibility of parole, which is the sentence required for a first-degree murder conviction in Colorado.

He will be transported to the Colorado Department of Corrections when a facility becomes available.