A Colorado jury convicted Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, 25, of first-degree murder in a 2021 mass shooting at a grocery store in Boulder. Alissa, diagnosed with schizophrenia, had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. The jury found him guilty on 10 counts of first-degree murder.
Alissa’s conviction carries a mandatory life sentence without parole. If found not guilty by reason of insanity, he would have been sent to a state psychiatric hospital, with release requiring judicial approval.
The case centered on Alissa’s mental state at the time of the shootings. Under Colorado law, a person must be unable to distinguish right from wrong for an insanity defense to succeed.
Alissa entered the store armed with a Ruger AR-556 pistol, similar to an AR-15 rifle, and killed 10 people, including a police officer. Eyewitnesses described him as methodical and brutal during the rampage.
Psychologists and psychiatrists testified that Alissa was diagnosed with schizophrenia but being mentally ill alone does not constitute legal insanity. Defense attorney Kathryn Herold argued that the tragedy stemmed from disease, not choice.
Alissa’s family testified that he exhibited signs of mental illness in high school, becoming withdrawn and paranoid. His father mentioned cultural stigma around mental health in their community.
Alissa, born in Syria, did not provide a motive for the massacre. Mental health workers who interacted with him post-arrest testified to his lack of clarity on the matter.
