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A Colorado man who killed an Air Force veteran last year will spend the rest of his life after being convicted of first-degree murder.
Paul Stephenson, 57, was convicted in April for killing Colonel Matt Anderson, U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Matt Anderson and hurting his four children after he hit the truck while drunk in August 2024.
Stephenson was sentenced to life imprisonment, plus 92 years.
Anderson stopped at a 7-Eleven gas station with his family after his death in Douglas County, according to the 23rd District Attorney’s Office. His wife was walking into the store when Stephenson brought Chevy Silverado into their vehicle.
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Paul Stephenson was convicted of first-degree murder after killing a veteran of the U.S. Air Force while driving home. (23rd Judicial District Attorney’s Office)
In court, Stephenson admitted to having a bottle of fireball whiskey and two beers before driving, his blood alcohol level was 2.5 times the legal limit, the DA’s office said.
Stephenson was found guilty of killing Anderson, and he filed his third DUI conviction.
District Attorney George Brauchler said his office filed first-degree murder to “send messages to drunk drivers in Douglas County.”
Bruchler, who filed the lawsuit, said it was a “painful coincidence” that the justice made against Anderson’s killer the day before the fourth time in July was a “painful coincidence.”
When U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Matt Anderson was just killed, he had just left Douglas County with his family. (23rd Judicial District Attorney’s Office)
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“The day before we celebrate the independence of the nation, we must face the loss of one of the great patriots in America who died… not in the hands of the enemy… but through the selfish behavior of one of us,” Bruachel said.
“The only appropriate sentence in this case is the one that will scare the hell of those who will engage in similar behaviors to prevent this from happening again.”
USAF Lieutenant Matt Anderson and his wife and his children. (23rd Judicial District Attorney’s Office)
Brauchler acknowledged that Douglas County is the most aggressive of drunk drivers compared to other jurisdictions in the area.
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Anderson’s father said the verdict gave their families a “small amount of closure” and thanked the agencies involved in the verdict.
Senior Deputy Attorney Nate Marsh praised the jury’s decision and said it reflects the seriousness of driving drunk.
“The defendant only cares about himself and completely ignores the value of human life. This is a murder case in the murder case, indifferent, the jury agreed. His life sentence will ensure that he cannot tear anyone else apart from his family.”
