Man Gets Life In Prison For 2016 Killing Of Denver Homeless Man

DENVER, CO – A man who fatally shot another man in a 2016 south Denver robbery was sentenced to life in prison Nov. 19 in Denver District Court.

Makhail Purpera, 31, was found guilty in August after a seven-day jury trial. The jury found him guilty of first and second-degree murder. He was sentenced to prison without possibility of parole, the Denver County District Attorney's office said.

On or about Nov. 5, 2016, prosecutors said Purpera shot and killed 54-year-old Wayland Busby while trying to steal marijuana and other belongings from him. A Denver Park ranger found Busby's body in a tent near South Platte River Drive and Dartmouth Avenue during a routine check, the DA's office said.

Purpera, originally from Louisiana, is also accused of murdering another man in Englewood and throwing his body into a lagoon. That case will be heard in March, the Arapahoe County District Attorney's Office said.

Image via Denver County District Attorney's Office

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