Colorado man who killed friend, sealed body in basement, gets life in prison

ADAMS COUNTY, Colo. (TCD) --

A Colorado man was sentenced to life in prison Friday for killing his childhood friend and burying the body in a concrete tomb in his basement in 2019.

Russell Montoya Jr., 39, was convicted of first-degree murder and tampering with a deceased human body by an Adams County jury on Thursday, April 15.

The Adams County District Attorney’s Office said Shane Nelson, 38, visited Montoya at a house in unincorporated Adams County on Nov. 8, 2019. Montoya fired four shots from a handgun during a verbal altercation in the kitchen. Nelson was hit twice in the chest and once in the head, killing him.

Days later, the D.A.’s Office said, Montoya bought supplies at a hardware store to create a "makeshift tomb" underneath the stairs in his basement.

“Montoya fully encased Nelson’s body in concrete and attempted to mask the odor that emanated from the area,” the D.A.’s Office said.

On November 13, one of Montoya’s daughters “expressed suspicions about his behavior and the conditions of his home,” and Montoya confessed to her.

The daughter called the Adams County Sheriff's Office, and a SWAT team searched his home on November 14, where they found Nelson’s body "encased" in concrete.

Montoya was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murder charge, and 12 years for tampering with a deceased body.

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