Teenager pleads guilty in 2022 Colorado Springs homicide to avoid prison time | Courts

A teenager accused of shooting and killing 19-year-old Trevor Branson in 2022 could avoid prison time, according to a plea agreement acquired by The Gazette.

Carson Stabler, 18, shot Branson on Sept. 18, 2022, in the 6000 block of Gunshot Pass Drive, according to a previous Gazette report. Stabler was 16 at the time of the shooting, so his name was not released by Colorado Springs police at the time of his arrest.

Stabler turned 18 earlier this month on May 26.

Following his arrest, Stabler was charged with first-degree murder, possession of a handgun by a minor and two sentencing enhancements for crimes of violence. According to the plea agreement, Stabler pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder and a crime of violence enhancing his sentence on April 30.

If the terms of the plea agreement are accepted by Judge Linda Billings-Vela, Stabler will avoid prison time and instead serve a seven-year sentence at Youthful Offender Services (YOS), subject to his acceptance in the program. If Stabler is accepted into YOS and the plea deal is accepted by Judge Billings-Vela, he will get no credit for time served, according to the plea agreement.

The plea agreement includes 35 years in prison in the Department of Corrections if Stabler fails to serve his YOS sentence.

According to a 2022 KRDO article, Branson's grandmother said the family knew the teenager accused of the homicide, now believed to be Stabler, and didn't understand why he would shoot her.

Stabler will return to court July 15 for his sentencing hearing, where Billings-Vela will have the opportunity to accept or reject the terms of the plea agreement.

Currently, Stabler resides in the El Paso County Jail without bond.