Man gets life sentence for 'senseless' murder of Colorado Springs taxi driver

Annika Schmidt, The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
Updated ·2 min read

Apr. 29—A man will spend the rest of his life in prison for murdering a Colorado Springs taxi driver in cold blood early one morning in January 2022, an El Paso County judge ruled Friday.

In February, a jury found 23-year-old Demar Ravenell guilty of four charges including first-degree murder in the shooting death of Brian MacDonald.

At Friday's sentencing hearing, MacDonald's family described him as a kind and devoted son, brother, husband and father.

In a courtroom packed with MacDonald's family and friends, Judge Jill Brady said she was shocked by how senseless the crime was after handing down the life sentence to Ravenell, who appeared emotionless during proceedings.

Ravenell was given the maximum sentence for his crimes Friday: life without the possibility of parole for first-degree murder to run consecutively with a 48-year sentence for attempted first-degree murder and concurrently with a 32-year sentence for aggravated armed robbery.

MacDonald, 42, was driving a taxi around 3:30 a.m. on Jan. 21, 2022, when he picked up Ravenell from a motel on North Nevada Avenue and drove him to a warehouse near North Stone Avenue.

Prosecutors said Ravenell pointed a gun at MacDonald's head from the back seat and pulled the trigger, but the gun didn't fire. Later, at the destination, Ravenell demanded money from MacDonald, who obliged. Then, Ravenell shot him in the head, killing him, prosecutors said.

Life for the MacDonald family since Brian's murder has been a "nightmare" they are waiting to wake up from, according to victim impact statements delivered in court Friday.

Prosecuting attorney Sharon Flaherty read a letter during the hearing from Brian's son, John MacDonald, who faces a future without his father. "It hurts to know that I will never be able to pick up the phone and call my dad," the letter said.

Brian's father, Robert MacDonald, said the family would have preferred that Ravenell receive the death penalty, but since Colorado abolished capital punishment in 2020, they support the maximum sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

Ravenell, appearing in handcuffs and a jumpsuit, did not make a statement at the sentencing hearing. He watched the proceedings, often looking at Brian's loved ones sitting together, and occasionally hung his head. "I ain't got nothing to say," he told the judge.

Robert MacDonald said he believes Ravenell was on a mission to kill someone, anyone, the day his son was murdered. "It is our view that Brian saved a life that day," Robert said, calling his late son a hero.