DENVER, CO – A 53-year-old man from Colorado who was recently convicted of murdering his co-worker’s wife in the wake of his termination from work learned his fate in court after being sentenced in late February for the senseless 2024 fatal shooting.
Back on June 29th, 2024, Ernest Cunningham went to the home of his co-worker after recently being laid off from his job, reportedly in attempt to initiate a hostile confrontation with his former co-worker which ultimately claimed the life of the co-worker’s wife, 23-year-old Kelsey Roberts-Gariety.
According to investigators, Cunningham had been repeatedly threatening the victim’s husband after his termination from work, which his firing appeared to be related to on-the-job drug use. When Kelsey answered the front door on that fateful June 2024 day, Cunningham opened fire, killing the woman where she stood.
Police were able to apprehend Cunningham hours after the fatal shooting, as one witness who resided at the apartment complex reportedly captured video of him fleeing the scene in his vehicle. Cunningham had apparently been on parole at the time of the shooting after serving time in prison for a burglary conviction.
Prison records note that Cunningham’s burglary conviction from 2016 resulted in a 20-year sentence, but parole eligibility at the time of his conviction was far more malleable as it was prior to the state passing Prop 128 which instituted a mandatory 85% serving of one’s time for violent offenses prior to parole eligibility.
In December of 2025, Cunningham was found guilty of second-degree murder, and his sentencing on February 27th effectively translated into a life sentence in the eyes of the victim’s family, as Cunningham was handed down a 42-year sentence for the offense.
The victim’s sister, Kylie Al-Nubu'at, told a local NBC News outlet following Cunningham’s sentencing, “He took my sister's life. We're serving a life sentence of grief, so now I feel like justice has been served,” after noting that anything above a 20-year sentence for the defendant was tantamount to “a life sentence.”
Back on June 29th, 2024, Ernest Cunningham went to the home of his co-worker after recently being laid off from his job, reportedly in attempt to initiate a hostile confrontation with his former co-worker which ultimately claimed the life of the co-worker’s wife, 23-year-old Kelsey Roberts-Gariety.
According to investigators, Cunningham had been repeatedly threatening the victim’s husband after his termination from work, which his firing appeared to be related to on-the-job drug use. When Kelsey answered the front door on that fateful June 2024 day, Cunningham opened fire, killing the woman where she stood.
Police were able to apprehend Cunningham hours after the fatal shooting, as one witness who resided at the apartment complex reportedly captured video of him fleeing the scene in his vehicle. Cunningham had apparently been on parole at the time of the shooting after serving time in prison for a burglary conviction.
Prison records note that Cunningham’s burglary conviction from 2016 resulted in a 20-year sentence, but parole eligibility at the time of his conviction was far more malleable as it was prior to the state passing Prop 128 which instituted a mandatory 85% serving of one’s time for violent offenses prior to parole eligibility.
In December of 2025, Cunningham was found guilty of second-degree murder, and his sentencing on February 27th effectively translated into a life sentence in the eyes of the victim’s family, as Cunningham was handed down a 42-year sentence for the offense.
The victim’s sister, Kylie Al-Nubu'at, told a local NBC News outlet following Cunningham’s sentencing, “He took my sister's life. We're serving a life sentence of grief, so now I feel like justice has been served,” after noting that anything above a 20-year sentence for the defendant was tantamount to “a life sentence.”
For corrections or revisions, click here.
The opinions reflected in this article are not necessarily the opinions of LET
Comments