On January 4, Arapahoe County Judge Elizabeth Weishaupl sentenced Kyree Brown, 20, to two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole for murdering Joe and Jossline Roland in a botched robbery.
In August 2020, Brown used a false name to post a stolen vehicle for sale on the Letgo app, a sales platform similar to eBay, Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace.
The investigation revealed Joseph Roland corresponded with Brown over the app to buy a used Toyota RAV4 SUV for $3,000. Shortly after 11 p.m. on August 14, 2020, the Rolands met Brown in a shopping center parking lot. After noticing some issues with the title, Brown lured the Rolands to a second location on E. Cornell Circle in Aurora where he claimed the correct paperwork was located.
At the new location, Brown pulled out a gun and demanded the cash the Rolands had brought to purchase the car. During the robbery, Brown shot and killed the couple and fled with their money.
Brown later dumped the stolen car near the area of Havana Street and East Colfax Avenue where he set it on fire.
Investigators were able to solve this case by pulling computer records showing his email address was used to advertise the stolen vehicle online.
“The world lost an amazing couple and some of the best parents that I have ever known over some money and a scam,” Sammy Jo Boumadi-Heckerman, Jossline’s sister said. “A person that clearly didn’t care about what is right or what is wrong didn’t just steal money, he stole our family.”
The Rolands leave behind five children who were 17, 12, 10, 8 and 4 at the time of the murders.
“My parents were and always will be the two most giving, compassionate, helpful, kind and selfless people I’ve ever met,” Madison Roland, the couple’s oldest daughter said. “We will never get to experience anything as a family ever again.”
In addition to the two murders, Brown was convicted of aggravated robbery, aggravated motor vehicle theft, arson and bait advertising.
“This defendant’s greed left five children in an unimaginable position of having to grow up without their parents,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Garrik Storgaard said. “He deserves to spend every second of every year behind bars for what he did to Joe and Jossline Roland.”
Colorado law requires a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole for Murder 1- a Class 1 felony.
“While no sentence will bring back these two loving parents, this life sentence ensures that the defendant will never have the ability to hurt another innocent person or family,” Senior Deputy District Attorney Jake Adkins said. “I hope the Roland family can find some peace and closure now that justice has been served.”
The investigation found that after Brown murdered the Rolands and set fire to the stolen car, he posted selfies with the money he stole from them. He also re-listed the advertisement for the same car he used to lure the Rolands.
“This couple didn’t deserve to die over a car and my heart aches for the children who have to grow up without both of their parents,” District Attorney John Kellner said. “This defendant robbed these children of a normal childhood and life in prison is the only appropriate sentence for this senseless crime.”
