DENVER — A teen faces 80 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to charges related to a December 2022 shooting in Denver that left a teenage girl dead and another teen wounded.
On Dec. 26, 2022, Tayanna Manuel was found dead outside an apartment complex on North Salida Street in the Gateway-Green Valley Ranch neighborhood. She had been reported missing on Dec. 24.
Prosecutors said Deontre Hollie, then 17, shot Manuel and wounded her boyfriend in a shooting days before her body was found. The boyfriend survived his injuries. Hollie was arrested in January 2023.
According to an arrest affidavit from Denver Police, Hollie shot the two teens on Dec. 23 in the area of 4699 N. Kittridge St. That's where the wounded male victim was found. Police said that night, Hollie dumped Tayanna's body near a dumpster.
The wounded victim was unable to speak for several days but finally was able to communicate to police that he was last with Hollie and Tayanna. He was unable to recall other details.
Hollie was initially charged with:
- First-degree murder – after deliberation
- Attempted first-degree murder- after deliberation
- First-degree assault with a deadly weapon – serious bodily injury
- Tampering with physical evidence of a felony crime
On Monday, Hollie pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder and one count of first-degree assault. He faces up to 80 years behind bars when he is sentenced in September.
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