Wife Shot Blank Range On Birthday, Perpetrator Jailed For 42 Years

23-year-old, Kelsey Roberts-Gariety, opened her front door on June 29, 2024, unaware that a disgruntled former employee of her husband would fire a fatal shot, ending her life on what should have been a celebratory day.

Ernest Cunningham, 53, a Westminster resident out on parole from a 20-year burglary sentence, was sentenced to 42 years in prison on February 27, 2026, following his December 2025 conviction for second-degree murder.

Denver District Attorney,  John Walsh, announced the outcome, stating, “Kelsey Roberts was a young woman with her whole life ahead of her who would be with us today were it not for Ernest Cunningham.”

Cunningham worked for Roberts-Gariety's husband, Jack, but was fired weeks earlier after using drugs on the job, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by the DENVER POST.

Furious over the termination, he made repeated threatening calls to Jack and showed up uninvited at their apartment.

On the night of the shooting, Cunningham arrived intending to confront Jack, but Kelsey answered the door instead.

He shot her immediately, and she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Surveillance footage captured his car leaving moments later.

Jack Gariety told police that Cunningham, "knew where they lived and had issues with him.".

A parole officer had assessed Cunningham as "low risk" two months prior despite failed and missed drug tests, prompting scrutiny of Colorado's screening process for dangerous offender.

Attorney Walsh declared, “Today’s sentence ensures that Cunningham will pay a heavy price for his horrific actions.”

The lengthy term followed a jury's guilty verdict on the single murder charge.

Roberts-Gariety's sister, Kylie Al-Nubu’at said, “He was released, and he made a permanent decision.”

She noted the murder occurred on Kelsey's birthday, leaving the family in daily grief.

Al-Nubu’at added, “When I heard the amount, I was very happy because I told myself if it’s over 20 (years) it’s basically a life sentence for him. He took my sister’s life. We’re serving a life sentence of grief, so now I feel like justice has been served.”