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Left inset: Ashlye Handy (Metro Denver Crime Stoppers/Facebook). Right inset: Abreham Yohhanes (Facebook/GoFundMe). Background: The 1400 block of Yosemite Street in Denver, Colo., where Abreham Yohhanes was shot at an apartment (Google Maps).
A woman in Colorado is heading to prison for shooting and killing a 16-year-old boy “with nearly his entire life in front of him” within minutes of arriving at an apartment in Denver, according to prosecutors.
“Abreham Yohhanes’ murder was a terrible, senseless tragedy,” said Denver District Attorney John Walsh in a press release Thursday announcing the sentencing of Ashlye Handy, who was 32 at the time of the 2021 shooting and his now 36.
“A young man, just 16 years old, killed,” Walsh said. “Ms. Handy will pay a heavy price for her awful actions — a sentence that we hope will bring a measure of comfort and a sense of justice to all those who knew and loved Abreham.”
Handy was handed a sentence of 25 years in prison on Thursday after being convicted of second-degree murder in January for Yohhanes’ 2021 death. Her arrest affidavit, which was obtained by The Denver Post, described the Handy as being the teen’s girlfriend. The two of them were at an apartment together in the 1400 block of Yosemite Street when the slaying occurred on Sept. 15, 2021, police said.
Authorities believe Yohhanes was killed sometime around 11:08 p.m., with the gunshot detection system ShotSpotter — which uses acoustic sensors to locate local gunfire — reporting shots in the area of 1425 Yosemite Street at that time, right next to the apartment building where the couple was that night, the Post reports. Surveillance video obtained by police showed Handy and Yohhanes arriving at the apartment complex at around 10:52 p.m. and Handy leaving by herself at around 11:12 p.m., the Post reported.
A friend found Yohhanes bleeding from a head wound at around 4 a.m., according to Handy’s arrest affidavit. The friend went to the apartment to check on Yohhanes after seeing an alarming screenshot of a text message sent by Handy’s brother in a Facebook thread that he’s included in.
“I love you thug rest up,” the message reportedly said.
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Handy was sentenced to serve her 25 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections.
A GoFundMe created for Yohhanes’ family described his loved ones as being “understandably in shock” and “deeply heartbroken” by his death.
“Abraham was a bright spark in this world and will be deeply missed,” the description says. “He touched the lives of so many. … Words fall short of expressing our sorrow for the family and we ask that you keep them in your prayers.”
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