AURORA | Aurora teenager Dhaevontae Rogers-Broadus was sentenced Tuesday to three decades in prison for his role in two deadly shootings that took place 11 days apart in 2023, according to Arapahoe County district court officials.
“Ultimately, two families are torn apart by these senseless acts of violence,” Senior Deputy District Attorney Cole Plummer said in the statement. “I recognized that no sentence will repair the harm this defendant has caused.”
Rogers-Broadus, 18, was sentenced by 18th Judicial District Court Judge Natalie Stricklin after being found guilty of being involved in the death of a 23-year-old Iraqi refugee and a teenage boy.
Rogers-Broadus was a juvenile at the time of the shootings and tried as an adult, according to district attorney officials.
Rogers-Broadus pleaded guilty to Second-Degree Murder in both cases, according to the statement.
For his role in the murder of Ahmed Zainuldeen, Rogers-Broadus was sentenced to 20 years in prison and 30 years in prison for his role in the case involving the murder of Raphael Velin. Both sentences will be served concurrently, the statement said.
Rogers-Broadus and two other unnamed teens attempted to steal a car in an apartment complex parking lot in the 7400 block of East Harvard Avenue, Sept. 19, 2023, according to police records. The car’s owner, Ahmed Zainuldeen, heard his car alarm and went to check on it, when he came across three people trying to break into his sedan.
When he confronted the suspects, he was shot and killed.
Zainuldeen and his family moved to Denver nine months prior, after they fled Egypt from their home country of Iraq for a better life, the statement said.
Rogers-Broadus’ gun was used in the shooting, and he was on probation at the time of this crime. However, prosecutors believe he was not the shooter.
“This family moved to the United States of America to chase the American dream, and this defendant turned that dream into a nightmare,” Senior Deputy District Attorney Johnny
Lombardi said in the statement. “Mr. Rogers-Broadus didn’t care who got harmed that night. All he cared about was stealing a car to get home so he wouldn’t be in violation of his probation.”
Rogers-Broadus was then involved in another deadly shooting of a teenager, Raphael Velin, in a Southlands Mall parking lot, 11 days after Zainuldeen was murdered.
Velin, who was 15, was killed after being shot multiple times during an aggravated robbery, the statement said. Rogers-Broadus and four other suspects were arrested and charged.
Investigators said they were unable to determine who was responsible for firing the fatal gunshot.
I must ask. Did this kid even consider the consequences of his actions prior to committing them? Was there anything society could do to have prevented this?
He’ll be out whehe is 27. Should have received the Death Penalty.