AURORA | A man who fatally shot his former girlfriend’s new boyfriend has been sentenced to life in prison.
Joseph McCaughin shot and killed 16-year-old Ryan Robertson in May 2019 after he learned that his ex-girlfriend was dating him, according to police reports.
KUSA-TV first reported the sentencing last week.
Jurors deliberated for just three hours Sept. 1 before determining Joseph Dean McCaughin was guilty of first-degree murder in the shooting death of 16-year-old Ryan Robertson at Wagon Trail Park in Aurora the evening of May 6, 2019, The Sentinel previously reported.
Robertson, a Grandview High School student, and McCaughin briefly exchanged words before police said McCaughin drew a semi-automatic handgun from a backpack and fired half a dozen shots toward Robertson in rapid succession.
Witness later told investigators that “(McCaughin) acted out of anger, and aimed for Robertson’s head,” according to the affidavit.Robertson and a 15-year-old friend had planned to meet McCaughin, who was 18 at the time of the shooting, at the Aurora park to confront him about how he had reportedly assaulted his 17-year-old ex-girlfriend, according to an arrest affidavit.
The same girl had since become romantically involved with Robertson, according to the arrest document.
Robertson was ultimately shot three times: once in the head, once in the lower back, and once in the right arm. He died on the way to the hospital.
The gunfire was aimed in the direction of nearby Independence Elementary School, where multiple children and adults were outside, according to prosecutors.
“Not only did this defendant kill another person, but he put little kids in harm’s way as
he was shooting,” District Attorney John Kellner said in a statement.
McCaughin’s ex-girlfriend — the same teen who had become involved with Robertson in the weeks before his death — told police she had dated McCaughin for about three years, but they broke up about a year before the shooting.
She said “McCaughin was physically abusive during their entire relationship, and that he continued to stalk and physically assault her after they broke up.”
Police determined McCaughin had broken into the girl’s Aurora home while she was there just several hours before the fatal shooting. Before McCaughin left the teen’s home, he whispered to her that “if she f***ed with anyone, he would kill her and the other guy,” according to the affidavit.
McCaughin was arrested in Georgia about a week after the shooting.
“It’s tragic to see yet another young man’s life cut short by the petty jealousy of a man with a gun.” Kellner said.