Defendant Sentenced to 80 Years for the Brutal Stabbing Deaths of Two Victims in Aurora

Brighton, CO – District Attorney Brian Mason announced today that Ricky Roybal‑Smith, 38, has been sentenced to 80 years in prison after pleading guilty to murdering 27‑year‑old Jesse Shafer and 61‑year‑old Scott Davenport in Aurora on June 29, 2025. 

In the early morning hours of June 29, 2025, Roybal‑Smith traveled down East Colfax Avenue in Aurora and carried out two separate deadly attacks. 

Just before 2:00 a.m., a driver traveling on North Moline Street saw Jesse Shafer collapse in the middle of an alleyway and immediately called 911. When officers arrived, they found Shafer unresponsive with 15 stab wounds. He was pronounced dead on scene. 

While officers were still investigating Shafer’s death, a second 911 call came in. The caller reported what appeared to be a deceased male near a bus shelter roughly half a mile away. Scott Davenport, 61, was found dead with approximately 90 stab wounds. Investigators determined that both attacks occurred within the same narrow window of time. 

Detectives documented blood evidence, the victims’ locations, and the path Roybal‑Smith took as he moved from the first homicide scene to the second. Surveillance footage and witness interviews helped investigators piece together the timeline and confirm that Roybal‑Smith attacked and killed both men before fleeing the area. 

On March 30, 2026, Roybal‑Smith pleaded guilty to two counts of Second‑Degree Murder (F2). Adams County District Court Judge Brett Martin sentenced him to two consecutive terms of 40 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections, for a total of 80 years in prison. 

“These were horrific, senseless murders and the defendant will now spend the rest of his life behind bars,” said District Attorney Brian Mason. “Jesse Shafer and Scott Davenport were killed in acts of extreme violence carried out within a short time of each other. Today’s sentence holds the defendant accountable for the lives he took and for the fear and trauma he inflicted on our community. I’m grateful to the Aurora Police Department for their thorough investigative work and to my prosecution team for securing this conviction and sentence.” 

Chief Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Prince and Deputy District Attorney David Ortiz prosecuted the case.