Teen sentenced to decades in prison for killing man in south Fort Collins in 2021
The teen who pleaded guilty to stabbing a man to death under a bridge in south Fort Collins has been sentenced to more than four decades in prison.
The now-17-year-old was charged in the homicide of 58-year-old Todd Stout in August 2021. Stout was found dead with multiple stab wounds under a bridge near the MAX Transit Station at the intersection of Harmony Road and Mason Street on July 5, 2021.
Stout had recently moved to Fort Collins and was temporarily living under the bridge while working to get sober, investigators previously said. He was stabbed multiple times, according to the coroner’s office, and was likely lying down when he was first attacked.
The teen, Vickie Zwahlen — formerly referred to as Benjamin Zwahlen — pleaded guilty to an amended charge of second-degree murder, a Class 2 felony, in October as part of a plea agreement. The teen was originally charged with first-degree murder.
The plea agreement asked Judge Juan Villaseñor to sentence the teen to at least 35 years in prison.
Zwahlen was sentenced to 44 years in prison Friday.
Stout's family and members of Zwahlen's family and church community spoke at Friday's sentencing hearing on the impact this case has had on them. Subscribers can read more about the sentencing hearing here, including Villaseñor's reasoning for imposing this sentence.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Teen who fatally stabbed man in south Fort Collins sentenced to prison
