A combined SWAT team waits outside the middle school entrance at STEM School Highlands Ranch after a shooting that killed one and wounded eight students. (John Leyba, Special to The Colorado Sun)

This story first appeared in a Colorado Community Media newspaper. Support CCM’s neighborhood news.

The trial is underway for the older of the two students charged with carrying out the deadly STEM School Highlands Ranch shooting two years ago.

Devon Erickson, now 20, is accused of helping Alec McKinney, now 18, carry out the attack that left Kendrick Castillo dead and eight others injured. McKinney pleaded guilty and was sentenced last year to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years.

In January 2020, Erickson pleaded not guilty to dozens of charges, including first-degree murder.

Jury selection for Erickson’s trial, from a pool of 600 potential jurors, began Monday. The trial is set to begin once 12 jurors and four alternates are seated. As of Wednesday, the final jurors had not been selected. 

The trial is expected to last until June 25.

Read more at highlandsranchherald.net.

Elliott Wenzler wrote about politics, water, housing and other topics for The Colorado Sun until October 2023. She has covered community issues in Colorado since 2019, including for Colorado Community Media. She has been featured in various...