Colorado man gets life for killing wife to 'avoid divorce and have sole custody of his children'

CENTENNIAL, Colo. (TCD) -- A 46-year-old man will spend the rest of his life behind bars for killing his wife a day before their divorce was set to be finalized in 2023.

According to the Colorado 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office, on April 22, a judge sentenced David Lechner to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the first-degree murder of his wife, Tracy Lechner. A jury also found the defendant guilty of attempted kidnapping and illegal use of a stun gun. He was sentenced to three years with two years of mandatory parole for the attempted kidnapping and stun gun charges, KMGH-TV reports.

On March 30, 2023, shortly after 8 a.m., Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a home on South Geneva Way to a report of a shooting. At the scene, prosecutors said officials found Tracy Lechner dead on the garage floor next to her vehicle. Investigators determined she died from multiple gunshot wounds, and her death was ruled a homicide.

According to prosecutors, numerous neighbors heard the gunshots. Additionally, one witness reportedly saw David Lechner on top of his wife, firing at her before running away toward his vehicle. Prosecutors said the witness tried to stop David Lechner and "rammed his Rental Truck into the side of Lechner's car." Deputies apprehended the defendant nearby.

According to the district attorney's office, David Lechner's attorneys said the man shot his wife in self-defense. They also argued he "only went to confront Tracy in her garage in an attempt to convince her not to go forward with the divorce."

However, investigators reportedly learned David Lechner purchased a "getaway car" under a false name just days before the shooting. He also bought a GPS tracking device, gloves, duct tape, zip ties, and a tarp, prosecutors said. When confronting his wife, David Lechner reportedly had a taser and gun with him.

At the sentencing hearing, the victim's family members reportedly read impact statements and called Tracy Lechner a "supermom" to her two children. Tracy Lechner's father is caring for the children with his wife, WMGH reports.

None of the defendant's family members reportedly showed up to the trial.

Colorado 18th Judicial Deputy District Attorney Tory Reavis called David Lechner's crimes a "calculated murder plot to avoid a divorce and have sole custody of his children."

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