GUILTY CO - Jason Schaefer, 33, mail carrier fatally shot, Longmont, 13 Oct 2021

[Seattle1]

Longmont postal carrier shooting: Trial begins for co-defendant in murder case

Andrew “AJ” Ritchie, 36, is charged with first-degree murder after deliberation for reportedly conspiring with Devan Schreiner, 28, to kill Jason Schaefer, 33.

www.timescall.com

UPDATED: September 19, 2023 at 4:42

Andrew “AJ” Ritchie, 36, is charged with first-degree murder after deliberation for reportedly conspiring with Devan Schreiner, 28, to kill Jason Schaefer, 33.

Following jury selection, attorneys made their opening statements in the case just before noon Tuesday.

“They planned, both of them, the murder of Jason Schaefer,” Deputy District Attorney Carlos Rueda said during his opening arguments Tuesday.

Schreiner was convicted in March of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison for shooting Schaefer while he was delivering mail in southwest Longmont on Oct. 13, 2021.

Just two days before the shooting, Schaefer had filed a request to modify parenting time, and witnesses also said Schreiner appeared upset that Schaefer had recently started dating Schreiner’s 19-year-old sister.

Prosecutors said Ritchie, who was having an affair with Schreiner, helped Schreiner commit the murder by tracking Schaefer through Longmont.

A rideshare vehicle used by the Englewood prison where Ritchie worked as a guard was seen on camera several times following Schaefer’s postal van, and Ritchie’s cell phone data and GPS data from Schaefer’s postal scanner also appeared to be in the same vicinity for most of the morning, the affidavit states.

Cell phone records show Ritchie was on the phone with Schreiner throughout much of the morning and that he also made three phone calls to Schreiner following the shooting.

[..]

But Ritchie’s defense attorney, Jim Aber, said in his opening statements that none of the evidence prosecutors presented proved Ritchie was involved in the planning and execution of the murder.

[..]

Aber said Ritchie was following Schaefer around “to try and prevent a tragedy” and make sure Schreiner didn’t do anything, and actually at one point warned Ritchie.

“Devin knew Jason’s route, she didn’t need AJ to tell her where Jason Schaefer was,” Aber said. “She didn’t need AJ, AJ didn’t know the route.”

Aber said Ritchie initially lied to police about being with Schreiner the night before the murder in a “misguided last-ditch attempt to save his marriage.”

[..]

The trial is scheduled to conclude after about two weeks.

 

[Seattle1]

Longmont postal carrier shooting: Trial begins for co-defendant in murder case

Sep. 19—The trial for a man accused of plotting with a woman to kill her ex-boyfriend began with opening statements Tuesday. Andrew "AJ" Ritchie, 36, is charged with first-degree murder after deliberation for reportedly conspiring with Devan Schreiner, 28, to kill Jason Schaefer, 33. Following...

news.yahoo.com

 

[Seattle1]

Longmont postal carrier shooting: Trial begins for co-defendant in murder case

The trial for a man accused of plotting with a woman to kill her ex-boyfriend began with opening statements Tuesday.

postaltimes.com

 

[Seattle1]

Longmont postal carrier shooting: Trial begins for co-defendant in murder case

Andrew “AJ” Ritchie, 36, is charged with first-degree murder after deliberation for reportedly conspiring with Devan Schreiner, 28, to kill Jason Schaefer, 33.

www.reporterherald.com

9/19/23

Prosecutors said Ritchie, who was having an affair with Schreiner, helped Schreiner commit the murder by tracking Schaefer through Longmont.

A rideshare vehicle used by the Englewood prison where Ritchie worked as a guard was seen on camera several times following Schaefer’s postal van, and Ritchie’s cell phone data and GPS data from Schaefer’s postal scanner also appeared to be in the same vicinity for most of the morning, the affidavit states.

Cell phone records show Ritchie was on the phone with Schreiner throughout much of the morning and that he also made three phone calls to Schreiner following the shooting.

There was also an image on Ritchie’s phone, taken in Schreiner’s bathroom, of a person wearing a similar outfit to the suspect fleeing the scene.

Rueda said Schreiner stayed with Ritchie the night before the murder and that Ritchie took Schreiner to her workplace before going down to Longmont and tracking Schaefer.

Rueda also said Ritchie lied about his whereabouts when police questioned him after the incident.

 

[Seattle1]

UPDATED: September 29, 2023 at 11:25 a.m.

Andrew Ritchie, the second defendant in the Longmont shooting of a postal carrier, has been found guilty by a jury and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Ritchie, 36, was found guilty of first-degree murder after deliberation Wednesday for the death of Jason Schaefer, 33, who was fatally shot while on his postal route in Longmont on Oct. 13, 2021. In closing statements, Ritchie was described as the “eyes and ears” of Devan Schreiner, 28, who was found guilty in March of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison for fatally shooting Schaefer.

[..]

During the trial, evidence was presented of Ritchie’s cell phone being tracked along Schaefer’s route, before he was seen on surveillance footage at a Loveland Hooters at the time of Schaefer’s death. Prosecutors argued Tuesday that Ritchie assisted Schreiner in making a plan to kill Schaefer, which included setting up an alibi for Schreiner and tracking Schaefer over the course of his route to inform Schreiner of his whereabouts.

Prosecutors said Ritchie also encouraged Schreiner to murder Schaefer and presented a text message to the jury from Ritchie to Schreiner that read, “You could just kill them both and make it look like they killed each other.”

Man found guilty in first-degree murder of postal carrier in Longmont, sentenced to life

Andrew Ritchie, the second defendant in the Longmont shooting of a postal carrier, has been found guilty by a jury and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

www.denverpost.com

 

[Seattle1]

Man found guilty in first-degree murder of postal carrier in Longmont, sentenced to life

Andrew Ritchie, the second defendant in the Longmont shooting of a postal carrier, has been found guilty by a jury and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

www.timescall.com

9/28/23

Ritchie, 36, was found guilty of first-degree murder after deliberation Wednesday for the death of Jason Schaefer, 33, who was fatally shot while on his postal route in Longmont on Oct. 13, 2021. In closing statements, Ritchie was described as the “eyes and ears” of Devan Schreiner, 28, who was found guilty in March of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison for fatally shooting Schaefer.

“With today’s guilty verdict, the two people responsible for this premeditated and cold-blooded murder will be held fully responsible for killing Jason Schaefer while he was delivering mail,” Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said. “These two robbed Jason’s family and U.S. Postal colleagues of a beloved son, father, and friend. Since the first hours after Jason’s murder, I have been deeply grateful for the strong partnership between the Longmont Police Department, U.S. Postal Inspectors, and our team.”