Second Life Sentence Given to Colorado Man for Murder of Witness

AURORA, Colorado — Steven Young, a 48-year-old man from Colorado, has been sentenced to life in prison for the second time in connection with the 2020 murder of a woman who had witnessed another killing. The imprisonment is in connection with the murder of 33-year-old Charly Lewis, who was killed by Young, a man already serving a life sentence for the 2020 murder of 41-year-old John Cyprian.

Young was accused and convicted of killing Charley Lewis in August. He had previously been convicted of killing John Cyprian and sentenced in that case in 2021. The murders were carried out within six days of each other. Adams County Assistant District Attorney Maggie Conboy expressed gratitude to the jury for reaching the verdict and hoped it would provide some measure of comfort to Charly Lewis’s family. She also commended the prosecutors and investigators who worked tirelessly on the case.

The first murder occurred while Cyprian was walking along 16th Avenue near Akron Street with Lewis on June 1, 2020, when Young stopped his SUV and charged at Cyprian with a gun. After shooting Cyprian, Young took Lewis with him and fled the scene. Young was captured on surveillance video on the HALO camera walking with Lewis in an alley behind 1065 Federal Blvd. on June 7. Lewis’ body was found in the early hours of the next morning.

These senseless and gruesome crimes have now resulted in Young being handed a second life sentence, ensuring that he will never again have the chance to harm another innocent person. The families of the victims can find some comfort in the fact that justice has been served for Charly Lewis and John Cyprian.