A man who fatally shot, dismembered and burned a victim at a homeless encampment in Aurora has been sentenced to life in prison.
Richard Darling, 37, was sentenced Thursday in Arapahoe District Court for the 2015 murder of Rey Pesina, according to a district attorney’s office news release.
“This was a particularly brutal offense,” said District Court Judge Andrew C. Baum. “I don’t think what you did to Mr. Pesina’s body was justified or appropriate or showed any hint of human decency.”
Aurora police, on Oct. 31, 2015, found Pesina’s dismembered body near a homeless camp under a bridge between the 1000 and 1200 blocks of I-225. Pieces of human tissue were found floating in Toll Gate Creek and additional human remains were found burning in a nearby barrel.
Darling was found hiding in a nearby grassy area. He was convicted by a jury of first-degree murder on Jan. 25.
During the sentencing on Thursday, Senior Deputy District Attorney Jake Adkins said he was most struck by Darling’s “complete and utter lack of any semblance of remorse.”