David Samuel Lechner, 46, has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after being found guilty of shooting and killing his wife one day before their divorce was set to be finalized.
“While this conviction ensures a murderer will never be able to walk free, no sentence can replace the life he took that day,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Chris Gallo said in a statement from the 18th Judicial District.
Deputies with the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office responded the morning of March 30, 2023, to a report of gunshots at a home in the 5200 Block of S. Geneva Way in Unincorporated Arapahoe County, near the Cherry Creek State Park. Deputies found Tracy Lechner deceased on the garage floor next to her SUV. An autopsy report ruled her death a homicide from multiple gunshot wounds.
Lechner’s defense counsel argued the shooting was self-defense and claimed he only wanted to confront his wife in her garage to try to convince her to not go through with the divorce.
Investigators argued the killing was calculated. The presented evidence that in the days leading up to Tracy Lechner’s murder, Lechner acquired a getaway car under a false name, purchased a GPS tracking unit, gloves, zip ties, duct tape and a tarp. Investigators also said Lechner showed up the morning he killed his wife armed with a taser and gun.
“This was not a case of self-defense,” Deputy District Attorney Tory Reavis said in a statement.
Reavis added that evidence showed Lechner incapacitated Tracy with a stun gun and then shot her three times, including once in the head.
Neighbors reported hearing gunshots. The 18th Judicial District’s statement stated, “One witness reported seeing Lechner standing over his wife, pulling the trigger at point blank range and then running to his getaway car.”
The witness rammed his rental truck into the side of Lechner’s vehicle in an attempt to keep him from fleeing the scene. Deputies shortly later arrested Lechner down the street without incident.
A jury found Lechner guilty after about four hours of deliberation. His offenses include, first degree murder after deliberation, attempted kidnapping and an illegal use of a stun gun.
District Court Judge Jacob Edson sentenced Lechner Monday morning.
Under Colorado law, a first-degree murder conviction carries an automatic life sentence with no possibility of parole.
“Two children are now growing up without their mother while their father sits behind bars,” said Gallo. “I can only hope this sentence brings some closure to Tracy’s family.”