Death Penalty Sought In Slayings Of 70-Year-Olds

STERLING, Colo. (AP) — Prosecutors said Friday they will seek the death penalty against a young couple from Sterling charged with killing the man's grandparents so he could get his modest inheritance.

Brendan Lee Johnson, 20, and Cassandra Ann Rieb, 18, are charged with first-degree murder and other counts in the strangulation deaths of Charles and Shirley Severance, both 70. They were killed in May.

Rieb told police they wanted to get the Severances' small house and $20,000 that Johnson expected to inherit, according to arrest warrant affidavits.

District Attorney Brittny Lewton announced her decision in a news release but did not explain her reasons. She said she would not comment further because of a gag order.

Johnson's lawyer, Rachel Lanzen, didn't immediately return a call. Rieb's attorney, Thor Bauer, said he was unaware of the death-penalty decision and couldn't comment.

Johnson, who was 19 at the time, and Rieb are charged of killing the Severances in their Sterling home and then trying to cover their tracks.

Investigators found the grandmother's burned remains in two locations, outside Sterling and about 30 miles away in Lorenzo, Nebraska.

They later called 911 to report they had found the grandfather's body, which was too heavy for them to dispose of as planned, authorities said.

Rieb is due in court for a preliminary hearing on Sept. 19. A motions hearing is scheduled Oct. 27 for Johnson.

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