Tyrone L. Garth via Aurora Police Department
A 43-year-old Colorado man is set to spend several decades behind bars for fatally shooting his 67-year-old mother inside of her home more than two years ago.
An Arapahoe County judge on Thursday ordered Tyrone L. Garth to serve a sentence of 40 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections for killing Mae Rose Garth in 2020, records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
Garth on July 22, 2022 pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder in Mae’s death. Authorities initially charged Garth with first-degree murder but later reduced the charge as part of a plea agreement.
According to a press release from the Aurora Police Department, officers at approximately 9:20 a.m. on Jan. 27, 2020 responded to a call about a fatal shooting at a home located in the 600 block of North Potomac Street. The caller — later identified as Garth — told the emergency dispatcher that he had just shot a person and wanted officers to respond to the home and to avoid a standoff, Denver NBC affiliate KUSA reported.
Upon arriving at the scene, first responders entered the home where they reportedly found Mae, who appeared to have sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Medical personnel reportedly transported Mae to a nearby hospital for treatment but she succumbed to her wounds and was ultimately pronounced dead a short while after arriving at the facility.
An autopsy conducted by the Arapahoe County Coroner’s Office reportedly determined that Mae’s manner of death a homicide caused by multiple gunshot wounds.
The 67-year-old mother was reportedly shot “at least six times,” KUSA reported. The station also obtained a copy of a probable cause affidavit in which authorities say Garth claimed to believe that his mother was involved in a plot to have him killed.
Police first encountered Garth in a parking lot just outside of the residence. While still at the scene, Garth allegedly made “spontaneous” statements relating to his mother’s death, reportedly saying that “he just wanted it to be over,” per KUSA. He further claimed that he was responsible for fatally shooting Mae because he believed that she and his then-girlfriend were planning to kill him, the affidavit reportedly stated.
Garth reportedly told investigators that instead of waiting for the alleged murder plot against him to unfold, he “decided to act first.” He also claimed that random people were “staring at him” throughout the night and concluded that he “did what he had to do,” according to KUSA.
Investigators were able to contact the last woman Garth was known to have dated, but she reportedly told police that the two broke up approximately two years prior to the shooting and had not spoken since the relationship ended.
According to a report from the Sentinel Colorado, Garth has had several run-ins with the law dating back to 1998, reportedly leading to robbery, assault, and drug possession charges.
[image via Aurora Police Department]