Colo. Supreme Court denies new trial for Robert Ray, man convicted of 2005 Aurora double murder

AURORA, Colo. (KRDO) – A former death row inmate – and one of Colorado's most infamous convicted killers – has been denied a new trial by the Colorado Supreme Court, despite the court identifying errors in his trial.

Robert Keith Ray was previously convicted in 2009 of orchestrating the murders of Javad Marshall-Fields and his fiancée, Vivian Wolfe, in 2005. Ray received a death sentence, which was commuted to life in prison in 2020 after the state repealed capital punishment.

In a unanimous Colorado Supreme Court opinion issued June 23, the court acknowledged that Ray’s 2009 trial included several evidentiary errors, particularly involving improperly admitted evidence with limited relevance.

However, the court found that these issues did not compromise the fairness of the trial or the reliability of the jury’s verdict, given the large amount of other evidence presented at the trial – and ruled to deny a new trial for Ray.

"The fact that this was a lengthy trial that included many witnesses and voluminous evidence also minimized the prejudicial impact these handful of errors might have had. Therefore, we conclude that Ray is not entitled to reversal under the cumulative error doctrine," the court opinion reads in part.

“The Colorado Supreme Court has made it clear: Robert Ray will remain exactly where he belongs—behind bars for the rest of his life,” District Attorney Amy Padden said in a statement following the ruling. “Justice has prevailed. The victims’ families and our community can take comfort in knowing these killers will never walk free."

Timeline of events

In 2004, a dispute broke out at a music festival in Aurora's Lowry Park between Ray, Sir Mario Owens and two of the event's organizers, Gregory Vann and Javad Marshall-Fields.

Vann was shot and killed, and Marshall-Fields was injured during the dispute, the 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office said.

Marshall-Fields was set to testify against Ray and Owens in Vann's 2005 murder trial, but before he could, he was shot and killed alongside his fiancée, 22-year-old Vivian Wolfe.

Although Sir Mario Owens was convicted as the gunman in both shootings, prosecutors argued that Ray orchestrated the murders to stop Marshall-Fields from testifying about the shooting in Lowry Park.

Ray and Owens were both later sentenced to death for the killings, and both saw their sentences commuted to life imprisonment in 2020.

Owens was separately convicted and had his convictions upheld in a prior appeal.

“The Supreme Court’s unanimous affirmation of both Ray and Owens' convictions ensures that the criminal justice system will seek out those who attack that justice system by killing witnesses,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Ann Tomsic said. “On behalf of the victims’ families and the community that was so stunned by these murders, we are grateful the Court recognized that the trial, despite its complexities, was fair and the verdicts were sound."

Read a copy of the full Colorado Supreme Court opinion here.

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