{"id":3013,"date":"2026-07-25T16:34:28","date_gmt":"2026-07-25T16:34:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=3013"},"modified":"2026-07-25T16:34:28","modified_gmt":"2026-07-25T16:34:28","slug":"colorado-anti-violence-activist-sentenced-to-51-years-in-prison-for-revenge-murder-at-childs-birthday-party","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=3013","title":{"rendered":"Colorado anti-violence activist sentenced to 51 years in prison for revenge murder at child\u2019s birthday party"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…<\/strong><\/div>\n
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BRIGHTON \u2014 A hypocrite. A monster. A coward.<\/p>\n

Those words and more choice language were leveled Friday afternoon at Lumumba Sayers Sr., a convicted murderer who was once a mixed martial arts fighter and leader of an anti-violence nonprofit called Heavy Hands Heavy Hearts Center.<\/p>\n

Read more Denver police arrest driver following early Friday fatal crash<\/a><\/p>\n

Adams County District Judge Jeffrey Ruff sentenced Sayers to 51 years in prison for shooting and killing 28-year-old Malcolm Watson Sr. at a birthday pool party for Watson\u2019s 5-year-old son in Commerce City\u2019s Pioneer Park on Aug. 10, 2024.<\/p>\n

Sayers, 47, received 48 years \u2014 the state\u2019s maximum penalty \u2014 for second-degree murder and 18 months each for tampering with evidence and attempted tampering with evidence.<\/p>\n

Prosecutors alleged Sayers Sr. killed Watson to avenge the death of his son, Lumumba Sayers Jr. \u2014 who was killed in a shootout in Five Points in 2023 \u2014 because Sayers Sr. believed Watson was connected to his son\u2019s killing.<\/p>\n

During Friday\u2019s sentencing hearing, Watson\u2019s family implored Ruff to impose the maximum sentence, saying Sayers\u2019 cruelty, lawlessness and hypocrisy were unforgivable.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe gave his sorry speeches and his crappy boxing lessons,\u201d said Dominique Davis, one of Watson\u2019s eight sisters. \u201cHe did the opposite of what he told others to do. What a joke. What a fraud.\u201d<\/p>\n

Throughout the tense hearing, Watson\u2019s mother, sisters and the mother of two of his sons explained how Watson\u2019s death left a gaping hole in their family, and how it will forever taint a child\u2019s birthday.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWords can\u2019t describe the pain of losing Malcolm in the cruelest way imaginable,\u201d his mother Tajauna McKinley said. \u201cMalcolm\u2019s sons had to watch their father die in front of them. Our lives are forever changed not knowing whether to celebrate a birthday or mourn Aug. 10.\u201d<\/p>\n

The family described Watson as a loving father, and the prosecutor showed a video of his oldest two sons \u2014 Malcolm Jr. and Milo \u2014 singing happy birthday and shouting \u201cI love you\u201d as they clapped at the song\u2019s end. Watson had saved the video on his phone and investigators found it after his death.<\/p>\n

He also enjoyed Marvel movies, football, singing and traveling with his mother.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf my son loved you, you knew it and you felt it,\u201d McKinley said. \u201cIf my son was your friend, you knew it and you knew he was a standup dude.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll never hear my son say, \u2018Momma, I love you. You\u2019re the best.\u2019 My son was my biggest supporter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Denver doctor qualifies for ballot to take on Democrat Melat Kiros as independent candidate for Congress<\/a><\/p>\n

The sentencing hearing was held with Adams County sheriff\u2019s deputies standing around the courtroom. The two families were separated on opposite sides, and afterward, Watson\u2019s family was instructed to leave the courthouse and drive away before Sayers\u2019 family was released from the courtroom.<\/p>\n

People screamed curse words at Sayers as deputies led him out of the courtroom, and his family began shouting that they loved him. Ruff ordered everyone to be quiet and leave when they were told.<\/p>\n

Just before the 2024 killing, Sayers Sr. had attended an anti-violence rally sponsored by the Denver nonprofit Struggle of Love in Montbello. He drove with family members from the rally to Pioneer Park, where surveillance video showed him park and walk toward Watson.<\/p>\n

Watson was shot and killed seconds later, just out of the video\u2019s frame.<\/p>\n

Multiple witnesses said Sayers Sr. walked up to Watson, greeted him and then shot him at close range.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was out of nowhere in broad daylight in front of a host of witnesses, some of whom were children, some of whom were Mr. Watson\u2019s children,\u201d Deputy District Attorney Aaron Brunskill said as he asked for the maximum sentence. \u201cI can\u2019t come up with words to describe just how inhumane, how horrific that is. The hypocrisy can\u2019t be left unsaid either.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sayers denied killing Watson and took the stand in his own defense to say someone else killed the 28-year-old and that he only pulled an unpermitted gun from his pocket after he heard shots fired in the park.<\/p>\n

He shook his head in disagreement throughout Friday\u2019s sentencing hearing, and Ruff noted that lack of remorse and accountability when handing down the penalty.<\/p>\n

Four men, including Sayers\u2019 wrestling coach at Denver\u2019s East High School and Cody Sudmeier, a former mixed martial arts fighter who trained with Sayers, spoke on his behalf. All said Sayers\u2019 history of helping others should be considered in his punishment.<\/p>\n

Sudmeier said he has visited Sayers in jail and that Sayers had been attacked by multiple men, who injured his face and shoulder. Sayers wore his right arm in a shoulder sling on Friday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI respect how horrific of a loss all of this is,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Sayers declined to speak at the hearing. His attorney, Megan Downing, asked the judge to appoint public defenders to represent Sayers in his appeal.<\/p>\n

Read more Today in History: July 25, first \u2018test tube baby\u2019 born in England<\/a><\/p>\n

Sign up to get crime news sent straight to your inbox each day.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Adams County District Judge Jeffrey Ruff sentenced Lumumba Sayers Sr. to 51 years in prison for shooting and killing 28-year-old Malcolm Watson Sr. at a birthday pool party for Watson\u2019s 5-year-old son in Commerce City\u2019s Pioneer Park on Aug. 10, 2024.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3012,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3013","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-courts","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nColorado anti-violence activist sentenced to 51 years in prison for revenge murder at child\u2019s birthday party - Colorado Springs Moverss<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=3013\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Colorado anti-violence activist sentenced to 51 years in prison for revenge murder at child\u2019s birthday party - 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