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Man Sentenced To Life In Prison For Rock Musician Murder

GOLDEN, Colo. (CBS4) - A man found guilty of killing a rock musician in Golden and then setting a fire to cover up the crime was sentenced to life in prison on Friday.

Jurors announced the guilty verdict on Monday in which Thomas Kevin Laperch faced a mandatory life in prison without the possibility of parole sentence.

Thomas Kevin Laperch
Thomas Kevin Laperch (credit: Golden Police Department)

Prosecutors say in 2014 he killed William Burchett who had subleased a room to the suspect.

Burchett's home was then set on fire. He was the lead singer of a local band called The Resonators.

William Burchett (credit: Facebook)
William Burchett (credit: Facebook)

A neighbor, who in 2014 asked not to be identified, said Laperch moved in after responding to an ad on Craigslist. He said they all welcomed him to the area at first, but after a few days their feelings toward him had changed.

Police later found and arrested Laperch on the 16th Street Mall.

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