Kyree Brown posted selfies with money after murdering couple who responded to used car ad
Kyree Brown was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole on Wednesday. Brown, 20, was convicted in August 2022 of two counts of first-degree murder, aggravated robbery, theft and arson for the crime.
Joseph and Jossline Roland were robbed and killed after responding to an online advertisement for a used car on Aug. 14, 2020.
Investigators say Brown admitted to stealing the 2017 Toyota RAV4 and posting it for sale on the "Letgo" app. When the Rolands met him to buy the car, with thousands of dollars in cash, Brown allegedly pulled a gun -- and shot them as they tried to get away.
According to the arrest affidavit, Brown said he met the couple at the Southlands Mall on Aug. 14, 2020 and told them he accidentally brought the wrong vehicle title. He asked them to follow him to an apartment on East Cornell Circle, near South Parker Road.
Brown said he pointed the gun at Joseph Roland, while the couple was still in their car, and demanded the money. He said the car started moving and he decided to shoot Joseph -- and accidentally shot Jossline.
Joseph, 39, and Jossline, 40, were pronounced dead at the hospital, within five minutes of each other. They left behind five children, ages 17, 12, 10, 8 and 4 at the time of the murders.
"My parents were and always will be the two most giving, compassionate, helpful, kind and selfless people I've ever met," Madison Roland, the couple's oldest daughter said in a statement. "We will never get to experience anything as a family ever again."
After the deadly shooting, police say Brown posted the car for sale on the app again — under a different name. Investigators determined the likelihood of another innocent citizen being robbed and/or murdered was significant.
Investigators determined Brown took selfies following the murder, showing himself flashing $100 bills that he obtained as a result of the crime.
Brown was arrested on Aug. 27, 2020 after a chase that ended near 29th Avenue and Central Park Boulevard in Denver.
"The world lost an amazing couple and some of the best parents that I have ever known over some money and a scam," Sammy Jo Boumadi-Heckerman, Jossline's sister said in a statement. "A person that clearly didn't care about what is right or what is wrong didn't just steal money, he stole our family."
The investigation found that after Brown murdered the Rolands and set fire to the stolen car, he posted selfies with the money he stole from them. He also re-listed the advertisement for the same car he used to lure the Rolands.
"This defendant's greed left five children in an unimaginable position of having to grow up without their parents," Chief Deputy District Attorney Garrik Storgaard said in a statement. "He deserves to spend every second of every year behind bars for what he did to Joe and Jossline Roland."
Colorado law requires a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole for first-degree murder, a class one felony.
"While no sentence will bring back these two loving parents, this life sentence ensures that the defendant will never have the ability to hurt another innocent person or family," Senior Deputy District Attorney Jake Adkins said in a statement. "I hope the Roland family can find some peace and closure now that justice has been served."