Tylen Grays Sentenced to 36 Years

Today, Tylen Grays was sentenced to 36 years in the Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to Murder in the Second Degree, a Class Two Felony, and Attempted Murder in the First Degree, a Class Two Felony. 

On August 11th, 2024, Fort Collins Police Services were dispatched to Tony’s Bar in Old Town for reports of a shooting. There, they found a thirty-one-year-old male, Keiter Baez Morales, and a twenty-nine-year-old female with gunshot wounds in the parking lot behind the bar. Mr. Baez Morales was transported to the hospital, but unfortunately died from his injuries. The second victim was able to survive her injuries and recovered. 

A large-scale investigation began to determine who had killed Keiter Baez Morales. Investigators interviewed witnesses, reviewed security footage, and searched for the murder weapon. Witnesses reported that the suspect, who was unknown to the victims, had become angry with Baez Morales and his group as they walked past him in the parking lot. Despite Baez Morales’ attempts to de-escalate the situation, the suspect ultimately pulled out a handgun and fired multiple shots at Baez Morales and his group.  The suspect fled from the scene and threw the weapon in a dumpster. 

As the investigation continued, the owner of Tony’s Bar offered to allow law enforcement access to the identification card scanning machine used by their bouncers to identify their suspect. From that data, detectives were able to identify Tylen Grays as the man who had significantly wounded a woman and killed Keiter Baez Morales. 

Detectives then began trying to locate Mr. Grays, and it was discovered that he had fled from Colorado to Michigan immediately after the shooting. He was taken into custody in Detroit in September 2024. 

The prosecution team, led by Chief Deputy District Attorney Amanda Duhon, Senior Deputy District Attorney Lynzi Maas, and Deputy District Attorney Zackery Edwards, alongside Mr. Baez Morales’ family, friends, and the surviving victim, shared with the Court who Keiter Baez Morales was, how much his loss was felt, and how Tylen Gray's actions have affected not only those who loved Mr. Baez Morales, but those who never got the chance to know him. 

In her sentencing argument, Chief Deputy District Attorney Amanda Duhon spoke about the dedication and bravery shown by Mr. Baez Morales’ mother. “For the last two years, she has attended every single court hearing, either in person or virtually. She travels from Colombia to Fort Collins each time to ensure justice for her son,” said Duhon. “She told me she wasn’t sure in the beginning if her son would get justice because he was an immigrant. Every victim deserves justice no matter where they come from or what they believe in.” 

“I am incredibly proud of our team for overcoming numerous legal obstacles in securing accountability for Mr. Baez Morales and his family,” said District Attorney Gordon McLaughlin. “This shooting, the death of Mr. Baez Morales, and the injury of the surviving victim were completely senseless. I want to thank the families, friends, and surviving victims in this case who stood with this team through a very long process, a process that included navigating a system in a new country, with a new language. No victim should be denied justice because of their identity, and no family should have to worry that justice won’t be served because of who their loved one was. I hope they find some closure from this case coming to an end.”