Jury selection was set to kick off Monday morning in Adams County District Court, where prosecutors are moving ahead with the case against Lumumba Sayers Sr., the former anti-violence organizer accused of fatally shooting 28-year-old Malcolm Watson at a child’s birthday gathering in Commerce City in August 2024. Sayers has pleaded not guilty and remains in custody as his defense team continues to litigate pretrial motions. The case has drawn close attention because of Sayers’s prior community work and the killing of his son last year.
Trial date and court schedule
The Colorado Judicial Branch’s public calendar lists a jury trial for Sayers beginning Monday morning in Adams County District Court, confirming that jury selection is expected to start this week. The Colorado Judicial Branch docket shows the case on the court’s schedule throughout the week.
Charges and prosecutors’ account
The 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office has charged Sayers with first-degree murder, two counts of felony menacing and two counts of tampering with evidence, alleging that the shooting took place after a child’s birthday event at a pool in Commerce City. The DA’s press release lays out the formal counts and lists the corresponding court case number.
Defense: witnesses are reluctant to testify
At a pretrial conference in late March, defense attorney Megan Downing told the court that several potential witnesses had been unwilling to participate. “They are scared,” she said, noting that the defense had only two of six potential witnesses ready to testify, according to the Denver Gazette. The Denver Gazette also reported that Judge Jeffrey Ruff plans to summon a large pool of prospective jurors for the anticipated two-week trial and that prosecutors indicated they would oppose any request to delay proceedings.
Background and context
Sayers, a former mixed-martial-arts fighter who ran the Heavy Hands Heavy Hearts youth program, has been a visible anti-gun-violence advocate in the Denver area. Denver7 and other outlets report that prosecutors say the case may be connected to the August 2023 killing of Sayers’s son, a detail that has figured into how motive has been discussed in pretrial filings.
What to expect at court
If jury selection proceeds as scheduled, attorneys are expected to begin voir dire on Monday, with the trial stretching over multiple days. Local reporting has pegged the expected trial length at roughly two weeks. Prosecutors have indicated that their case will center on witness testimony and evidence gathered by investigators, while the defense has signaled plans to argue that someone else fired the fatal shot.
Legal stakes
Sayers faces a class 1 felony count of first-degree murder under Colorado law, the state’s most serious homicide charge. Under state statute, a conviction for murder in the first degree carries the harshest penalties available, including life imprisonment in many cases; full penalty details are outlined in Colorado Revised Statutes §18-3-102.
The trial is set in Adams County District Court, where reporters from local outlets are expected in the gallery as jury selection gets underway on Monday morning, with coverage likely to be updated as each phase of the proceedings unfolds.
