Prosecutors found the Colorado man guilty on multiple counts for striking three pedestrians in what they described as a domestic violence encounter. Jurors found Manuel Handboy guilty of attempted first-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, attempted manslaughter, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, and third-degree assault.
After an eight-day trial, an Adams County jury returned their verdict.
According to prosecutors, on Jan. 15, 2022, Handboy’s ex-girlfriend, her mother, and her sister were returning to the Red Rock Motel on 63rd Avenue near Federal Boulevard after shopping. The victim had recently broken up with Handboy, 39, and was sleeping at the motel with her mother.
Victims informed police that while they were removing stuff from their vehicle, Handboy accelerated toward them in his black Acura automobile. That’s when investigators claimed he purposefully hit the victim, her mother, and her sibling with his vehicle.
Prosecutors said the intensity of the impact threw the girl and her mother into the air, while the victim’s sister, who was sitting in the car, was also struck. The girl and her sister were hurt, while their mother was left comatose with a traumatic brain injury and many fractures.
According to investigators, after hitting his vehicle and flipping it onto its side, Handboy attempted to flee the scene. When a brave witness subdued him, deputies from the Adams County Sheriff’s Office came and took him into custody.
“This defendant plowed his vehicle into three innocent victims, causing unspeakable suffering,” said District Attorney Brian Mason in a statement. “The defendant’s violent actions are an outrageous assault on this community, and I’m grateful to the jury for returning a just verdict. The District Attorney’s Office will continue to prosecute violent acts of domestic violence to the fullest extent of the law. I appreciate the hard work of our law enforcement partners and my team at the DA’s Office in securing justice in this case.”
The court will sentence Handboy on April 2.