A Colorado man will spend the next four decades in prison after shooting his ex-wife in the neck while their young children watched from the backseat of her car.
What Happened?
In March 2024, Brandon Allen, 48, opened fire on his ex-wife Nicki Douglass-Johansen while she sat in her driveway in Longmont, Colorado — ready to take their 7-year-old twins to the store.
Allen shot her twice. One bullet entered her neck, sliced a carotid artery and shattered her jaw. Somehow, she survived.
The Children Witnessed Everything
The couple’s twin children were sitting in the backseat when the shooting happened. According to court documents, the boy later told investigators their dad shot their mom twice — and both children ducked down, fearing they would be shot next.
After Allen fled the scene, the children rolled down a window and yelled for someone to call 911.
“Mom Got Shot — Will She Remember Us?”
Those were the words one of the children said after watching their mother get shot, according to the arrest affidavit. The phrase became one of the most heartbreaking moments in the case.
Allen Called 911 Himself
After fleeing, Allen called 911 and told the dispatcher:
“I think I just killed my ex-wife.”
He was later found on the side of Highway 36. When officers moved to arrest him, he drove away, led police on a chase and fired shots from his moving vehicle before finally being stopped and arrested.
What the Judge Said
At sentencing, Boulder County District Court Judge Thomas Mulvahill did not hold back:
“Everything that you did for your children was obliterated the moment you shot their mother.”
Allen responded in court: “I did become the monster.”
The Sentence
Allen pleaded guilty to attempted murder, child abuse, vehicular eluding and related charges. He received the maximum sentence allowed under his plea deal — 41 years in state prison, plus 10 years of probation.
A protection order had already been in place prohibiting Allen from possessing a weapon at the time of the shooting.
Douglass-Johansen survived. Her courage — and that of her children — was credited by prosecutors for bringing Allen to justice.
— Coverage by thecmeaglet.com
