A former Weld County sheriff’s deputy who testified in February that she hatched a murder plot with her best friend and alleged lover, Shawna Nelson, was sentenced to 9 years in jail and three years mandatory parole.
“Frankly, you should consider yourself lucky you’re not spending a majority of your life in prison,” Weld County District Judge James Hartmann told Michelle Moore during sentencing.
Moore was sentenced for helping Nelson plan the shooting death of Heather Garraus on Jan. 23, 2007, in Greeley.
Garraus was married to then-Greeley Police Officer Ignacio Garraus, with whom Nelson had a three-year affair that produced a child.
Jurors in March found Nelson guilty of shooting Garraus in the head outside a Greeley credit union where Garraus worked. Moore told jurors that she and Nelson plotted for days on the best way to get rid of Garraus. At one point, Shawna Nelson said: “Well, I could just shoot her,” according to Moore’s testimony.
Moore was originally charged with plotting to commit murder but later agreed to a lesser charge of accessory to a crime in exchange for her testimony against Shawna Nelson.
Prosecutor Cliff Reidel said Moore, 27, could have prevented the murder on multiple occasions but she did not. She repeatedly rendered assistance to Shawna Nelson.
“Each time you had a conversation with Shawna Nelson, you were empowering her to kill Heather Garraus,” said Judge Hartmann. “You were a willing and active participant in this crime.”
Moore’s parents, Dean and Mary Runyuns, both Christian missionaries, told Judge Hartmann that their daughter fell under the influence of Shawna Nelson.
“Michelle has always been a very friendly, open girl, but sometimes she’s been taken advantage of because of her openness, said Dean.
“She’s an amazing young lady and we believe God has a plan for her.”
