BRECKENRIDGE, Colo. — A Breckenridge man who was convicted of killing his roommate in 2019 was sentenced Thursday to 14 years in prison.
On March 8, a jury found Miles Fernando Tovar, 40, guilty of reckless manslaughter and first-degree criminal trespass.
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On Nov. 6, 2019, just before 10 p.m., the Breckenridge Police Department responded to a call along the 1000 block of Grandview after receiving a report of shots fired. When police arrived, they found a 35-year-old man from Breckenridge — later identified as Tovar — with a gunshot wound to the leg, according to police. They also found his roommate, Brendan Rye, who didn't appear to have been shot but had significant injuries, according to the police department. A third person reported the call and was not injured.
Rye, who had recently moved to the area from Florida, died of his injuries at Saint Anthony’s Hospital in Lakewood. The coroner determined Rye died from manual strangulation.
Tovar's injuries were not life-threatening, the police department said. He was released on Nov. 7, 2019, according to police.
Based on the police department's initial investigation, an altercation had started between Tovar and Rye. Police recovered a handgun from the scene.
According to the Fifth Judicial District Attorney's Office, Tovar, Rye and the person who called 911 were all temporarily living in the condo while they renovated it as subcontractors. The condo owner lived nearby and invited them over for dinner to thank them for their hard work.
The district attorney's office said Tovar became "heavily intoxicated" during dinner and was asked to leave by the condo owner. He kept returning, and Rye "repeatedly stepped in and physically led Tovar away and back to their unit," the DA's office said.
The last time, Tovar shoved Rye out of the unit, slammed the door behind him and said he did not like being disrespected, the DA's office said. Tovar later went into Brendan's room in the neighboring unit for a "man conversation" with Rye when the deadly confrontation occurred.
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A warrant was issued for Tovar's arrest in February 2022. He later turned himself in to the U.S. Marshals Service in Bridgeport, Connecticut in October 2022.
On Thursday, Judge Karen Romeo sentenced Tovar to 12 years in the Department of Corrections for the manslaughter charge and two years for the trespass charge. The sentences will be served consecutively, bringing the total time in prison to 14 years.
Tovar was credited for 598 days already served.
“We appreciate the efforts of the Breckenridge Police Department for investigating this case, and the U.S. Marshals Service in bringing this defendant to answer for the crimes he committed. Mr. Rye’s family and friends have waited more than four years for this justice, and I sincerely hope they can finally start their healing process," District Attorney Heidi McCollum said in a statement.
