Óscar A. Contreras is a Murrow-nominated journalist who has been writing for the E.W. Scripps Company since January 2014.
ADAMS COUNTY, Colo. — A Colorado anti-violence activist charged with killing a man at a child’s birthday party two years ago to avenge the death of his son was found guilty of second-degree murder by an Adams County jury on Monday.
He was convicted on that count, as well as a charge of tampering with physical evidence and attempt to tamper with physical evidence. The jury found him not guilty on a menacing charge. Lumumba Sayers Sr. was charged with first-degree murder, menacing and two counts of tampering with evidence in the Aug. 10, 2024, killing of 28-year-old Malcom Watson at his son’s pool party in Commerce City’s Pioneer Park.
A second-degree murder charge — a lesser count to the first-degree murder charge — was added at the end of testimony for jurors to consider. Before the verdict was read, the judge asked the courtroom that emotional outbursts were not allowed. The trial for Sayers Sr. lasted about two weeks. His sentencing was set for July 24.
During his trial, Sayers Sr. took the stand to testify he did not shoot or kill Watson but admitted to illegally carrying a gun without a concealed carry license. Our partners at The Denver Post report Sayer Sr.’s gun was never fired that day, and investigators believe Watson’s killer used an untraceable 3-D printed or kit-built “ghost gun” to carry out the attack. That weapon has never been found.
The former mixed martial arts fighter and anti-gun violence activist was accused of targeting Watson because he believed Watson was connected to his son’s shooting death in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood in 2023. The suspect in the case at the time, Tyrell Braxton, was arrested a month later and charged with murder. Court records show the murder case was eventually dismissed. But an arrest affidavit in the case suggests a connection between the two cases.
Lumumba Sayers Jr., who was also an MMA fighter and anti-gun violence advocate, was heavily involved in the “Gloves Up, Guns Down” program, which aims to steer young people away from violence through structured training and a sense of belonging. This is a developing story and will be updated.
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