CLEAR CREEK COUNTY, Colo. — A 68-year-old man on Monday pleaded guilty to second-degree murder according to the Fifth Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
The DA's office said Alan James Head killed his sister, Mary Jo Head, on July 27, 2019 after shooting her with a pistol while she was in bed, then smothering her with a pillow.
After killing his sister, he called 911 to confess, the DA's office said, and was arrested without further incident and has remained in custody.
Alan Head was the primary caregiver of Mary Jo Head, and said he killed his sister as an “act of mercy” because he believed it was the “only alternative to remedy her rapidly failing health” according to the DA's office.
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“Gun violence like this does irreparable damage to so many around our nation, and I can’t say how truly sorry we all are to the family and friends of Mary Jo that were devastated by her loss,” said District Attorney Bruce Brown. “There are always other options and choices before playing God and taking someone else’s life in your own hands.”
If accepted by Judge Catherine Cheroutes, the plea agreement anticipates that Alan Head will be sentenced to 16 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections. The sentencing will take place at 3 p.m. March 30. He remains in custody pending sentencing.
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