DENVER — A Denver judge on Friday sentenced a man to life in prison for a fatal shooting in the Highlands neighborhood in May 2021, according to the Denver District Attorney's Office.
Jessie James McGhee, 55, was convicted in September of killing Dustin Stefan, 34. On Friday, Judge Jennifer B. Torrington sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
On May 3, 2021, Denver Police responded to a 911 call from the Residence Inn, in the 2700 block of Zuni Street. That's near Speer Boulevard and Interstate 25. Officers found Stefan with a gunshot wound to the head. He was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
He and Stefan were together in a hotel room and got into a physical fight that escalated into the shooting, the Denver DA's Office said.
According to the arrest affidavit, Stefan was temporarily living in the hotel room with another person, and they invited McGhee, who was a drug dealer, back to the room to smoke meth. At some point, McGhee got into an argument with Stefan, shot him and ran from the scene.
McGhee was arrested about a month later.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Latest from 9NEWS
9NEWS+
9NEWS+ has multiple live daily shows including 9NEWS Mornings, Next with Kyle Clark and 9NEWS+ Daily, an original streaming program. 9NEWS+ is where you can watch live breaking news, weather updates, and press conferences. You can also replay recent newscasts and find videos on demand of our top stories, local politics, investigations and Colorado specific features.
To download 9NEWS+ on Roku search for KUSA.
To download 9NEWS+ on Fire TV search for 9NEWS.
