A man who shot a Fort Collins police officer has been sentenced to 108 years in prison.
Edward Charles Nardello, 25, was sentenced Monday after pleading guilty in June to two counts of attempted first degree murder of a peace officer and one count of first degree burglary, a Larimer County District Attorney’s Office media release said.
On Christmas Day, 2009, Nardello, armed with weapons, ammunition, duct tape, a stun gun and handcuffs, hid in the closet of an ex-girlfriend’s room, laying in wait for her return.
Two housemates of the woman arrived home and found large footprints in the snow leading up to the front door and garage of the residence in the 2400 block of West Stuart Street.
The pair called police and reported that their housemate was being stalked and a restraining order had been handed down. The woman’s bedroom door was closed and locked, which was unusual.
Two officers, Sgt. Richard Ziegler and Allen Heaton, arrived and announced their presence through the door. When police didn’t get a response they kicked the door in. Heaton entered the room and was shot three times by Nardello, prosecutors said. Ziegler returned fire and hit Nardello.
Heaton recovered from his wounds and returned to work after 13 months of recuperation.
At the sentencing Monday, District Court Judge Gregory Lammons sentenced Nardello on each count consecutively, totaling 108 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections.
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com.
