Yesterday, Aaron Lambertus was sentenced to 20 years in the Department of Corrections for Attempted First Degree Murder - Extreme Indifference, a class 2 felony, which included a “crime of violence” sentence enhancer for his use of a handgun during the crime. Mr. Lambertus pled guilty on September 24th.

In August of 2023, Loveland Police Officers responded to a shooting at a Safeway Parking lot in Loveland. Two victims were sleeping on the ground and a third was nearby when they were shot at by someone in a SUV that then sped off. One of the victims was injured as a result of the shooting. Loveland Police immediately began an investigation to discover the occupant of the vehicle. Through a persistent and thorough investigation, Loveland Police quickly identified the SUV as a vehicle registered to Aaron Lambertus.

The detectives expanded their investigation, traveling to Bozeman, MT to interview Mr. Lambertus and his co-defendant, Ayla Osterloth. Eventually, both were arrested and extradited to Larimer County to face attempted murder charges. Through their investigation, detectives learned that Osterloth was the driver of the SUV and Lambertus was the shooter. 

Alyla Osterloth pled guilty to Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, a class 3 felony, in June 2024. Given her age and role in the commission of the crimes, in September she was sentenced to four years in the Youth Offender System (YOS), with an eight-year suspended sentence to the Department of Corrections. If Osterloth is unsuccessful in YOS she will be required to serve the eight-year prison sentence. 

The prosecution, led by Deputy District Attorney Jessica Hitchings, argued that Mr. Lambertus targeted these victims. In asking for the maximum of 48 years in prison, Hitchings pointed out that Lambertus told police that he wanted to shoot someone “who no one would really care about” and who he believed “wasn’t a contributing member to society.” In addition, Hitchings informed the judge that Lambertus had tried to manipulate his co-defendant by communicating with her in the jail trying to get her to take the blame for the shooting. 

In handing down her sentence, Judge Sarah Cure said, “There was absolutely no sense to this case. . . There is no sense in someone coming into our community and firing guns at humans.”

Mr. Lambertus will also be required to serve 5 years of parole following his time in the Department of Corrections.

The District Attorney's office thanks the Loveland Police Department for their commitment to this case and for helping to ensure that we could hold Mr. Lambertus accountable for his crimes.