Man gets 143 years for crime spree, pointing gun at Burger King employee

A Colorado judge sentenced a man to 143 years for a crime spree that involved threatening a Burger King employee with a gun, discharging the firearm inside a convenience store, and multiple shootings throughout Aurora.

The Arapahoe County Court sentenced 40-year-old Eugene Robertson to 143 years in the Department of Corrections for the 2022 crime spree.

According to court documents, on Oct. 17, 2022, Robertson placed an order in the drive-thru at a Burger King that was located in the 600 block of S. Buckley Road in Aurora.

Afterward, Robertson drove up to the window and attempted to pay for the food with drugs. When the employee declined to accept, Robertson whipped out a gun and pointed it at the employee before taking off.

A report was then made shortly after about a shooting at a convenience store in the 500 block of S. Airport Boulevard, which is directly across the street from Burger King.

The store clerk told officers that a man had walked in and pointed a gun to his head and when the man noticed the television surveillance camera system, he shot the screen and left the store.

Witnesses then told officers that they had seen the man shooting toward another person and his girlfriend before fleeing the area. No one was injured in the shooting. When police spoke to witnesses from both incidents, officers realized that they were searching for the suspect based on the description of their clothing and the vehicle that was being driven.

After midnight, another report was made from an apartment complex in the 18000 block of E. Kentucky Avenue.

A woman who reported the shooting told dispatchers that a friend she knew as "Eugene" was knocking on her door and when she refused to open, he fired shots while there were multiple people inside. No one was reported injured in the shooting.

While conducting the shooting investigation at the apartment complex, officers spotted Robertson, which led to him taking off on foot and hid behind bushes before he was taken into custody without incident.

"The Aurora Police Department took swift action in piecing together multiple crime scenes and quickly identifying a suspect," District Attorney John Kellner said. "I hope this century-long prison sentence serves as a warning that my prosecutors and I will not tolerate violent crime in our community."

Earlier this year, a jury convicted Robertson on eight counts of attempted murder, four counts of felony reckless endangerment, illegal discharge of a firearm, possession of a controlled substance, harassment, and two counts of reckless endangerment.

"I hope this lengthy prison sentence provides some sense of safety and comfort for the victims who were traumatized that night," Senior Deputy DA Taylor McCreary said. "While we were lucky that no one was seriously hurt or killed, this defendant's egregious actions warrant several decades in prison where he won't be able to harm anyone else."