ROUTT COUNTY, Colo. — A man was sentenced this week to 36 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in connection with the killing of a man in October of last year.
William Clive Ellifritz pleaded guilty Tuesday in Routt County District Court to charges related to the death of Elliot Stahl, whose body was found by a fisherman in a wilderness area of Routt County on Oct. 14, 2019.
“Elliot Stahl’s life was cut short in this senseless killing, and now William Ellifritz will spend a significant portion of his life behind bars," said District Attorney Matt Karzen.
"No one wins. The root cause of this behavior was methamphetamine addiction. The rise in addiction and drug-related violence in the northwest Colorado is a serious problem that deserves our focused attention as a community."
Brooke L. Forquer, 21, and Skyla Marie Piccolo-Laabs, 23, both of Craig, previously pleaded guilty in March to reckless manslaughter, accessory to a crime and abuse of a corpse, according to the Craig Daly Press.
The two were also originally charged with robbery, though those charges were later dismissed.
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