Man Found Guilty Of Kidnapping & Murder In Denver
DENVER (CBS4) – A man has been found guilty of kidnapping a security guard from the Cherry Creek Mall parking lot and murdering a 73-year-old man in 2011.
According to Lynn Kimbrough with the district attorney's office, William Lornes, 28, was found guilty of first-degree felony murder, second-degree murder, two counts of second-degree kidnapping, aggravated robbery, and first-degree aggravated motor vehicle theft.
"On April 13, 2011, at about 1 p.m., Lornes confronted 73-year-old Gerald Schwartzman in a grocery store parking lot, later killed him and left his body in a dumpster in the 1200 block of Hudson Street," Kimbrough said in a statement. "Later that day, Lornes approached a woman (a security guard) in the parking garage at the Cherry Creek Mall and forced her to drive him around at gunpoint."
Kimbrough said Lornes later forced the security guard into the trunk of the car.
"But she was able to locate an emergency release inside the trunk and escape. She called police from a nearby convenience store," Kimbrough said. "Lornes was later arrested in Jefferson County after he abandoned the stolen car and was spotted trying to leave the area in a taxi cab."
Lornes is scheduled to appear in in court June 27 for sentencing. He faces life in prison without parole.
