GOLDEN, Colo. — A man has been sentenced to prison for assaulting three homeless men in two separate incidents in the Golden area in 2019.
Roger Allan Coderre, 51, was found guilty of nine charges, including multiple counts of assault and felony menacing, on Aug. 5. On Monday, he was sentenced to 22 years in prison for assault, according to the Colorado First Judicial District Attorney’s Office (DA).
“One of our office’s greatest priorities is to aggressively prosecute those who target vulnerable people in our community and this was definitely one of those cases,” Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Rhoads said in a release. “The judge’s sentence is appropriate and we hope that it provides a sense of justice to the victims and community.”
The first incident happened on June 12, 2019. According to the court documents, Coderre approached two homeless men walking along the sidewalk on Jackson Street in Golden – between Ford Street and 14th Street. Described as being dressed in all black with a mask on, Coderre repeatedly hit the two victims with a metal baton while verbally harassing them. Both men were taken to the hospital, where they received multiple staples for their head wounds, according to the DA.
Upon further investigation, it was discovered that Coderre matched the description of a masked assailant from a prior assault of a homeless man that happened in the same area on Jan. 5, 2019, according to the DA. This attack happened in a church parking lot and also involved a baton. Similar to the second assault, the victim reported being verbally harassed, with his attacker shouting “Get out of my Golden,” and “If I see you again, I’ll kill you."
Using surveillance footage from surrounding homes and businesses, officers from the Golden Police Department were able to identify Coderre’s vehicle.
According to the DA, an anonymous call was made to an investigator on the case claiming that two homeless men were trying to trick the police. When questioned by the police, Coderre admitted to placing the call and following the victims during the incident, but denied involvement. During the interview, he also made derogatory comments about people experiencing homelessness, the DA said.
Coderre's guilty verdict included charges for:
- First-degree assault causing serious bodily injury with a deadly weapon (two counts)
- Second-degree assault causing injury with a deadly weapon (two counts)
- Felony menacing with a real or simulated weapon (three counts)
- Attempt to influence a public servant
- Attempt to commit second-degree assault causing injury with a deadly weapon
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