Isabella Thallas murder: Denver man who shot dead 21-year-old woman over dog poop is found guilty
COORS FIELD, DENVER: A man from Denver shot and killed a woman after her dog defecated outside his apartment in 2020. The man has been identified as Michael Close, 38, and he was found guilty of the murder of 21-year-old Isabella Thallas. The man used an AK-47 to carry out the crime while also wounding the woman’s boyfriend identified as Darian Simon.
According to the Denver Post, Michael Close had earlier pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity but the jury on Thursday, September 22 convicted him for the crime. The jury stated that Close knew what he was doing when he gunned down Thallas. Denver DA Beth McCann said in a statement shared that she was “delighted” that her office was able to get justice for the victims. Close faces a mandatory life term when he is sentenced on November 4.
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‘Are you going to train that f*****g dog or just yell at it?’
According to the publication, prosecutors alleged that Close got into a “verbal exchange” with Thallas and Simon as they encouraged the dog Rocko to poop in a rock garden outside Close’s apartment located at Huron Street near Coors Field. The incident dates to June 10, 2020. Close, as per Denver police homicide investigator Joseph Trujillo, yelled out of the window as the duo urged their pet to “go potty” saying, “Are you going to train that f*****g dog or just yell at it?”
Close then grabbed his AK-47, which he reportedly had taken from a friend who was a Denver police sergeant, and fired 24 shots. The Denver Post revealed that Thallas was shot in the back. She died of her injuries right on the spot. The unfortunate incident took place just two days after her birthday. Speaking of her boyfriend, Simon was shot in the leg and buttocks but survived the gruesome attack. After shooting and killing the duo, Close fled from the spot in his Mercedes SUV with the AK-47 and a handgun. He was busted by the cops during a traffic stop later that day.
‘We’ve been waiting two and a half years for this day’
Thallas mother Anna Thallas after Close got convicted of murder, said, “We’ve been waiting two and a half years for this day and what happened in there just went by almost as fast as my daughter was slaughtered.” Being completely emotional, she continued, “And our lives were changed forever.” Anna later tweeted that hearing the handcuffs click “was music to my ears.”
Isabella Thallas’ father, Joshua Thallas, told reporters outside the courtroom that “there is no justice in this” compared to the amount of loss caused by Close’s “poor choices.” Sonja Prins, who is Close’s public defender, stated that he had suffered a mental breakdown. She added that the man had an abusive childhood, a string of job losses, a breakup, and the Covid pandemic contributed to his poor mental health at the time of the shooting.