Ahmad Alissa, the Colorado man convicted of killing 10 people in a supermarket shooting in 2021, is now facing life in prison. Diagnosed with schizophrenia, Alissa pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, but a jury rejected this defense on Monday.
He was found guilty of 10 counts of first-degree murder, 38 counts of attempted murder, one count of assault, and six counts of possessing illegal large-capacity magazines. During the trial, Alissa’s defense team acknowledged that he shot and killed 10 individuals, including a police officer, in Boulder but argued that his mental illness rendered him incapable of distinguishing right from wrong at the time of the attack. Despite this argument, the jury determined he was sane during the shooting.
As the judge announced the verdicts, Alissa showed no visible reaction, sitting quietly at the defense table and occasionally conferring with his lawyers. The courtroom was filled with the families of the victims, law enforcement officials, and several relatives of Alissa, who had traveled from Syria to support him. Emotions ran high, with subdued tears and muffled sobs heard from those present.
Family members testified that Alissa had become increasingly withdrawn and paranoid in the years leading up to the shooting, a decline exacerbated after he contracted COVID-19 in 2020. Cultural stigma surrounding mental health prevented the family from seeking treatment.
On the day of the attack, Alissa drove from Arvada to Boulder and began firing immediately upon exiting his vehicle in the King Soopers parking lot. Most of his victims were shot within just over a minute, and he was ultimately apprehended after being shot in the leg by a responding officer.
Prosecutors argued that Alissa’s actions were deliberate, noting that he brought steel-piercing bullets and illegal magazines capable of holding 30 rounds, indicating his intent to cause maximum harm. They highlighted his targeting of individuals attempting to escape while sparing a 91-year-old man who remained unaware of the chaos around him.
Although acknowledging Alissa’s mental illness, state forensic psychologists concluded he was not legally insane at the time of the shooting. They testified that, despite hearing voices, he did not experience delusions and understood that his actions were wrong. His concern about being caught by police further suggested he was aware of the consequences of his actions.
The defense argued that the state’s psychologists expressed some uncertainty in their conclusions, particularly because Alissa had not fully detailed the voices he heard. They contended that these voices significantly influenced his behavior and that the shooting may not have happened if he had not been mentally ill.
The two-week trial included harrowing testimonies from survivors and graphic surveillance footage. Witnesses described frantic scenes as they fled for their lives, while a pharmacist testified that she heard Alissa exclaim, “This is fun,” as he indiscriminately fired his weapon.
While prosecutors established that Alissa had conducted online searches for public places to attack in Boulder, they did not clarify a specific motive. He had initially considered bars and restaurants before deciding to target a large store just a day before the shooting.
Alissa’s parents testified, with his mother describing him as “sick” and his father attributing his behavior to possession by a jinn, an evil spirit, while admitting that cultural shame had prevented them from seeking help.
The tragic event continues to cast a shadow over the community, as families mourn their losses while awaiting Alissa’s sentencing.
