A Colorado man who once promoted anti-violence efforts has been sentenced to 51 years in prison after being convicted of fatally shooting a man during a 5-year-old child’s birthday party in what prosecutors described as an act of revenge for the earlier killing of his own son.
Lumumba Sayers Sr., 47, received the sentence Friday from Adams County District Court Judge Jeffrey Ruff after a jury convicted him in April of second-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence, and attempted tampering with physical evidence in connection with the August 2024 death of 28-year-old Malcolm Watson.
The court imposed a 48-year sentence for the murder conviction, along with two consecutive 18-month sentences for the evidence tampering charges, bringing the total prison term to 51 years.
Prosecutors Say Revenge Motivated the Killing
According to the Adams and Broomfield Counties District Attorney’s Office, the fatal shooting took place on Aug. 10, 2024, during a birthday pool party at Pioneer Park in Commerce City, a suburb northeast of Denver.
Prosecutors argued that Sayers targeted Watson nearly one year after his own son, Lumumba Sayers Jr., was killed in a separate shooting in Denver.
District Attorney Brian Mason said Sayers’ actions directly contradicted the anti-violence message he had spent years promoting.
“Mr. Sayers’ actions directly undermined the work he claimed to dedicate his life to,” Mason said in a statement. “A man who presented himself as a mentor to young people and an advocate for nonviolence chose to commit the very act he said he stood against.”
Son Was Killed in 2023 Denver Shooting
Authorities said the events leading to Watson’s death began almost a year earlier.
On Aug. 19, 2023, Sayers’ 23-year-old son, Lumumba Sayers Jr., was shot and killed in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood along with another man. Two additional people were injured during the shooting.
Known in mixed martial arts circles as “Heavy Hands,” the younger Sayers worked alongside his father in community programs aimed at reducing youth violence. Both father and son were involved in MMA and outreach efforts designed to steer young people away from crime.
Investigators believe that 356 days after his son’s death, Sayers sought revenge.
Birthday Celebration Turned Deadly
According to prosecutors, Malcolm Watson was hosting a birthday pool party for his 5-year-old son at Pioneer Park on the afternoon of Aug. 10, 2024.
As Watson was leaving the party around 5 p.m., witnesses said a man approached him, pulled out a handgun and fired at close range.
An arrest affidavit states that Watson was shot in the head at close range while family members and guests were nearby.
Investigators recovered four spent shell casings from the scene. Watson suffered three gunshot wounds and died from his injuries.
Authorities Say Second Gun Was Planted
Prosecutors alleged that after Watson collapsed, Sayers returned to his vehicle and retrieved a second firearm.
Witnesses told investigators that he attempted to fire again, but the weapon malfunctioned.
Surveillance video allegedly showed Sayers placing the second gun underneath Watson’s body before leaving the area.
Those actions led to the evidence tampering charges that accompanied his murder conviction.
Witnesses Described a Shocking Scene
Investigators said witnesses heard someone yell, “I got you, mother f—,” immediately after Watson was shot.
According to the arrest affidavit, several witnesses believed the shooting was motivated by revenge connected to the earlier killing of Sayers’ son.
Police wrote that witnesses stated Sayers’ son had been murdered about a year earlier by a friend of the deceased, leading investigators to conclude the shooting was “probably in retaliation or revenge.”
Another witness described the tragedy by saying Sayers had “killed her baby’s daddy on the baby’s birthday.”
Victim’s Family Rejected the Motive
Watson’s sister later confirmed that her brother’s young son was celebrating his fifth birthday when the shooting occurred.
She questioned the alleged revenge motive, saying her brother had no involvement in the earlier homicide.
“How is it a revenge killing if my brother isn’t the one who had anything to do with it?” she said.
Defendant Claimed He Was Innocent
During the two-week trial, Sayers testified in his own defense and denied killing Watson.
He claimed another unidentified person committed the shooting and fled the scene.
Sayers also told jurors that he was only trying to recover his $15,000 gold necklace, which he claimed somehow ended up near Watson’s body after the shooting.
Prosecutors argued there was no evidence supporting his version of events and maintained that the physical evidence and witness testimony proved he was responsible.
After hearing all of the evidence, the jury convicted Sayers on all counts.
District Attorney Calls Crime Especially Tragic
Following the sentencing, District Attorney Brian Mason said the killing was particularly disturbing because it took place in front of children during what should have been a joyful celebration.
He said Watson, the father of the birthday boy, was murdered in front of family and guests, adding that personal revenge has no place in the justice system.
With the 51-year prison sentence now imposed, prosecutors said the case stands as a reminder that acts of retaliatory violence will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
