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Suspects in shootings that killed teen, paralyzed man sentenced

Shmuel Silverberg was killed and Thomas Young was paralyzed in the shootings in August 2021. Five suspects pleaded guilty to various charges in the case.

LAKEWOOD, Colo. — Three suspects who pleaded guilty in connection to multiple crimes in 2021 in the Denver metro area, including two shootings that killed a teen and left a man paralyzed, were sentenced Wednesday.

Noah Loepp-Hall, Aden Sides and Isaiah Freeman were sentenced in Denver District Court in connection to various crimes related to the shootings that killed 18-year-old Shmuel Silverberg and left 30-year-old Thomas Young paralyzed from the waist down.

Loepp-Hall was sentenced to 48 years for second-degree murder and 17 years for first-degree kidnapping, to be served consecutively. 

Sides was sentenced to 41.5 years for first-degree assault with a deadly weapon causing serious bodily injury, and 32 years for kidnapping, to be served concurrently.

Freeman was sentenced to 30 years for aggravated robbery and 30 years for first-degree assault involving multiple victims, to be served concurrently.

Two other suspects who pleaded guilty, Samuel Fussell and Seth LaRhode, had their sentencings deferred to later dates.

According to court documents, the group began their multi-day crimewave on Aug. 15 by carjacking and shooting a man while he sat in his car in the parking lot of an Aurora gym.

Two days later on Aug. 17, they were connected to a break-in at an auto shop, a carjacking on East Colfax Avenue in Denver, and a robbery that resulted in a shooting on North Lafayette Street.

Young described his injuries to 9NEWS weeks after the shooting, including being paralyzed from the waist down.

“It went through my right flank, under my rib cage, went straight across my back and out the left flank," Young said. "As it was going through, the shockwave of that bullet hit some of my spinal nerves, and that’s what’s giving me the problems right now.” 

The bullet also fractured a vertebrae and damaged some nerves along his spinal cord.

After those crimes, the group fatally shot Silverberg at Yeshiva Toras Chaim School, located at 1555 North Stuart St. around 11:30 p.m. Aug. 17.

Credit: Silverberg family
Shmuel Silverberg

The suspects arrived in two vehicles and fired shots at Silverberg near North Stuart Street and West Conejos Street. Silverberg ran toward the back of the school as the suspects drove their vehicles into the parking lot, essentially chasing him, according to the arrest affidavit.

The suspects shot at Silverberg as they were chasing him. Eventually, the suspects got out and began physically assaulting the victim in the vestibule of the school, the affidavit says.

When someone else approached the vestibule, one of the suspects pointed a gun at that person. The suspects then shot Silverberg numerous times and fled in the same two vehicles they arrived in, the affidavit says.

About an hour later, at 12:30 a.m. Aug. 18, the suspects were connected to a burglary at a Lakewood business.

Credit: Denver Police
From left to right: Seth LaRhode, Aden Sides, Noah Loepp-Hall.
Credit: Denver Police
Isaiah Freeman and Samuel Fussell

Loepp-Hall, LaRhode and Sides entered guilty pleas in March, while Freeman and Fussell entered their guilty pleas in April.

They pleaded guilty to the following charges:

  • Loepp-Hall:
    • Second-degree murder
    • First-degree kidnapping

  • LaRhode:
    • Second-degree burglary
    • Theft

  • Sides:
    • First-degree assault with a deadly weapon causing serious bodily injury
    • Kidnapping

  • Freeman:
    • Aggravated robbery
    • First-degree assault involving multiple victims

  • Fussell:
    • First-degree burglary
    • First-degree assault involving multiple victims

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