Curtis Adams, a self-admitted violent offender, was convicted Thursday of second-degree murder of a homeless man stabbed 31 times.
Adams, who has three previous assault convictions and faces three new charges in assaults at the Denver County Jail, left the courtroom with a message to prosecutors:
“You should have asked for the death penalty because you haven’t stopped me yet.”
On Wednesday, he lunged at prosecutor Lamar Sims after closing arguments in the trial.
Adams told Sims that he didn’t mean to kill Clyde Ashcraft, a homeless man who spent most of his time in the Swansea neighborhood with his dog, Lady May.
“I didn’t do that on purpose,” Adams said of Ashcraft’s fatal stabbing. “I should have done it to you.”
Investigators said that Adams lured Ashcraft to Milwaukee Street so he could kill him in front of the house of his former girlfriend, Patricia Geer.
Seconds before he started stabbing Ashcraft, Adams shouted at Geer: “What is about to happen is your fault.” And later, when he was led to a police car, he told her: “Dedicated to the one I love. I’d die or kill for you.”
Second-degree murder normally carries a sentence of 24 to 48 years. But at a hearing Wednesday, Denver District Judge Shelley Gilman will determine whether Adams is a habitual offender. If she makes such a finding, she can sentence Adams to a maximum of 96 years.
Also Wednesday, Adams will be arraigned on several assault charges stemming from attacks at the jail and for allegedly having contraband, specifically shanks or homemade knives.
Security was tight in the courtroom as the verdict was announced. Outside, in the hallway leading from the courtroom to a holding cell, about a dozen sheriff’s deputies waited in case Adams acted up.
Sims said he was gratified by the verdict.
“We are very pleased he was held responsible for his actions,” Sims said. “I think with these facts, it was a difficult case for the jury.”
Dru Nielsen, one of Adams’ attorneys, said she was disappointed in the outcome. She believed that at the time Ashcraft was killed, Adams was so out of control he couldn’t form the mental state necessary to be convicted of murder.
Staff writer Howard Pankratz can be reached at 303-820-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com.
