Golden – A young man pleaded guilty today in the beating death of his father and has agreed to testify against a co-defendant in the case.
Michael Fitzgerald, 19, will serve a 62-year prison sentence for the death of his father, Steven Fitzgerald, who was killed in his garage in November 2004.
Steven Fitzgerald, 41, bled to death after being hit on the head and stabbed several times in the chest, officials said. A post-hole digger was used in the attack.
Michael Fitzgerald was worried that his mother or younger sister would discover the body, so it was hidden behind garbage cans in the garage, according to prior testimony in the case.
Also charged in Fitzgerald’s murder is 18-year-old Michael Quinn Tate.
At today’s hearing, authorities didn’t say which defendant killed Steven Fitzgerald. According to court documents filed in 2004, Michael Fitzgerald told investigators that Tate stabbed and beat his father.
The two youths – 17 and 16 at the time – broke into the Fitzgerald home in Westminster to steal a car and other items, according to court documents.
They are also accused of breaking into the home the day before the murder and stealing prescription drugs, compact discs and electronic equipment. The family was at church the day of the earlier break-in.
Michael Fitzgerald was not living at home at the time and was in custody of Jefferson County Human Services. The two teens were runaways from a Lakewood shelter, police said.
During the break-in the pair awoke Steven Fitzgerald, who confronted the teens, prosecutors allege. Steven Fitzgerald told Tate to leave, but the boy headed for the garage with the keys to a family car. Steven Fitzgerald followed and he was beaten and stabbed to death.
As Michael Fitzgerald stood before District Court Judge Jane Tidball today, he answered a series of questions about his rights and the charges against him politely and succinctly.
“Yes, ma’am” and “No, ma’am” was all he said as family members, including his mother, watched from the gallery.
Fitzgerald could be eligible for parole after serving about 40 years.
“I think it’s a good resolution,” District Attorney Scott Storey said of the plea agreement. Fitzgerald’s family worked with the attorneys involved and “support the disposition,” Storey said.
Kris Fitzgerald, Steven’s widow and Michael’s mother, has been “devastated,” Storey said.
“It’s a brutal end to her husband’s life and her son is involved in it,” Storey said.
Kris Fitzgerald declined comment after the hearing.
Fitzgerald’s sentencing is scheduled for March 15. Tate’s murder trial is scheduled to begin on August 20.
Staff writer Kieran Nicholson can be reached at 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com.
