Colorado Springs man sentenced for 2022 murder of father of 8

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - On Wednesday, June 5, 2024, 27-year-old Brian Alford received his sentence in relation to a murder charge stemming from an incident at a gas station in 2022.

Alford was sentenced to 38 years in the Department of Corrections with credit for two years time served. In October of 2023, a jury found Alford guilty of second-degree murder for the death of Jeremy "JJ" Diaz.

Court documents say the two men were both in line at a Kum & Go store located on the Hancock Expressway near the Academy Boulevard intersection. The victim, Jeremy Diaz, 36 - was standing behind Alford, who was 25 at the time. According to the document, Diaz was in line with his 12-year-old son when the two men had an unspecified argument. A Kum & Go employee tried to break up the argument, the document explains. Alford reportedly pushed Diaz, and Diaz charged toward Alford when Alford pulled out a handgun. In the struggle, the document states that Alford reached around the store employee and fired several shots at Diaz, killing him.

If Alford serves the entirety of his sentence, he's projected to be released from the Department of Corrections in 2060. Alford will be 63-years-old.