Years after a six-hour SWAT standoff shut down a stretch of East Colfax Avenue, the Denver prosecutor who sent Taveuan Williams to prison for 30 years became the person who helped him pursue an earlier release. Williams was expected to become eligible for parole in 2026, five years before his original parole eligibility date in 2031, after the prosecutor advocated for a reduced sentence.
The case began on September 7, 2012, when Williams and co-defendant Michael Annan robbed a RadioShack at East Colfax Avenue and Glencoe Street in Denver's Park Hill neighborhood and held an employee hostage inside, according to CBS Colorado. Shots were fired near responding officers, touching off a standoff that lasted six hours before Williams and Annan surrendered peacefully. Williams was 19 at the time; as Colorado Public Radio reports, he and Annan were later tied to a string of other robberies, and Williams faced charges including aggravated robbery and assault.
A Hostage's Account and a Viral Standoff
During the standoff, Williams posted photos and updates to Facebook from inside the store, including one captioned “Swear to God ima die,” while relatives and friends gathered across the street urged him over the phone and on social media to surrender for the sake of his young daughter, per Westword's original reporting. RadioShack manager Christopher Nimerfroh was held hostage and was unharmed.
Williams pleaded guilty in May 2013 and was sentenced to 30 years in prison at age 20. Westword reported that his juvenile history included discovering a homicide victim near a North Franklin bus stop in 2009, when Williams was 16. Williams has recalled the prosecutor predicting during sentencing that robbery would be out of his system by the time he reached parole eligibility, originally set for 2031.
A Portfolio Sent to the Prosecutor
Williams later sent the prosecutor a 71-page portfolio documenting his accomplishments behind bars. The prosecutor praised Williams's accomplishments.
The Denver District Attorney's Office's Conviction Review Unit, which then-DA Beth McCann announced on August 3, 2022, evaluates claims of actual innocence and reviews sentences deemed incompatible with current standards of fairness, according to 9News. The prosecutor replied two weeks later. Williams hired an attorney to help pursue reconsideration.
From 30 Years to Parole Eligibility
From 30 Years to Parole Eligibility Williams hired an attorney, and a judge later reduced his 30-year sentence. Because earned prison conduct credits could not be directly applied to reduce a judicial sentence, a new plea agreement instead made Williams eligible for parole in 2026, Colorado Public Radio reports. That negotiated path is one post-conviction tool available to people seeking sentence review. In September 2026, former prosecutor and defense attorney Mike Pellow was named director of the office's Conviction Review Unit following the Colorado Senate's passage of “Second Look” legislation. Law Week Colorado reported that the legislation makes a dedicated review unit more important and that Denver's unit will review cases under the law: Law Week Colorado.
Williams wrote from the Beacon unit of the Colorado Department of Corrections and authored five children's books, the Prison Journalism Project reported. In an August 2025 first-person essay for the Prison Journalism Project, Williams wrote about support for his early release and community corrections placement.
A Path to Parole Eligibility
Williams was expected to become eligible for parole in 2026.
Williams's case illustrates the role Denver's Conviction Review Unit is expected to play in reviewing cases under Colorado's Second Look law.
