Trial Verdict: Schizophrenic Man Found Guilty in Boulder Mass Shooting

Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, diagnosed with schizophrenia, has been convicted by a Colorado jury of first-degree murder for the 2021 Boulder mass shooting that killed 10 people. Despite a plea of insanity, the jury found him guilty, mandating a life sentence without parole. The trial focused on his mental state during the shootings.

A Colorado jury has convicted Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, a man diagnosed with the severe mental disorder schizophrenia, of first-degree murder for a 2021 mass shooting at a Boulder grocery store that claimed 10 lives, including a police officer.

Pleading not guilty by reason of insanity, the Syria-born Alissa was found guilty in Boulder District Court on 10 counts of first-degree murder. This conviction carries a mandatory life sentence without parole in Colorado. Had Alissa been found not guilty on grounds of insanity, he would have been sent to a state psychiatric hospital, with release contingent on a judge's approval.

Jurors focused on Alissa's mental state during the incident. Under Colorado law, insanity defenses require proof of a defendant's inability to distinguish right from wrong. Armed with a legally obtained Ruger AR-556 pistol, Alissa killed two people in the parking lot before entering the store to kill eight others. Witness testimonies revealed he showed no remorse and appeared to take pleasure in the act. Mental health professionals confirmed his schizophrenia but stated that the diagnosis alone doesn't equate to legal insanity.

(With inputs from agencies.)