A former Greenwood Village police officer was sentenced Thursday to two years in prison for the killing of an Aurora teen in late 2021.
Adam Holen, 38, will also have to serve three years in probation as part of the sentencing handed down by Arapahoe County Judge Eric White. Holen was found guilty of manslaughter for the murder of 17-year-old Peyton Blitstein after a confrontation that resulted in an exchange of gunfire between the two.
During the trial, forensic evidence showed that Holen was shot once, while Blitstein was shot nine times. Doorbell camera footage captured the encounter, but it did not definitively establish who fired their weapon first.
Holen, who had resigned from the Greenwood Village Police Department prior to the incident, was found to be intoxicated at the time of the shooting, with a blood alcohol level nearly twice the legal limit. Upon arrival at the scene, police found Blitstein on the ground as a woman attempted CPR, with Holen nearby with a gunshot wound to his hip.
In a statement to police, Holen claimed to have confronted Blitstein and his friends for allegedly speeding through the neighborhood. He alleged that three individuals surrounded him, with Blitstein pulling a firearm and shooting him first, leading Holen to return fire with his own weapon.
Blitstein was pronounced deceased at a hospital later that evening. The case shed light on the fatal consequences of the confrontation between the former officer and the teenager.
