A Colorado man was found guilty by a jury for the strangling death of co-worker Brendan Rye in 2019.
Miles Fernando Tovar, 40, of Breckenridge, was found guilty of :
- Reckless Manslaughter (F4)
- 1st Degree Criminal Trespass (F5) related to a 2019 incident involving the death of his (then) co-worker, Brendan Rye.
During the investigation of the death by the Breckenridge Police Department, an arrest warrant was issued for Tovar in February 2022, and he later turned himself into the U.S. Marshals Service in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in October 2022.
Read: Florida Man In State Prison, Indicted For Threatening To Kill A Federal Judge
He was extradited back to Summit County, Colorado., to face the charges.
According to court documents, on Nov. 6, 2019, at 9:48 pm, a co-worker called 911 to report Brendan Rye was unconscious and not breathing in a condominium they were all living in while renovating it (in Breckenridge).
Upon arrival, law enforcement found Rye lying unresponsive in the bathroom. He was later pronounced deceased.
Tovar, Rye, and the reporting party were all temporarily living in the condo while they renovated it as subcontractors.
Read: Chicago Bears Sued By White Law Student For Race And Sex Discrimination, Civil Rights
The owner of the unit lived nearby and invited the men to have dinner in his condo as a thank-you for their hard work.
Tovar became heavily intoxicated during the evening dinner, and the condo owner asked him to leave. Tovar kept returning to the owner’s residence for various reasons, and Rye would step in and physically lead Tovar away and back to their unit several times that night.
This apparently led to the deadly confrontation between Tovar and Rye.
At some point, the reporting party heard loud ‘pops’ inside the unit. Tovar had been shot in the leg once, and Rye’s death was ruled a homicide by manual strangulation.
Read: Married North Carolina Man, In Florida For Birthday Party, Arrested For Human Trafficking
“We appreciate the efforts of the Breckenridge Police Department 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 this is one more step in their healing process,” said 5th Judicial District Attorney Heidi McCollum.
Tovar will be sentenced on May 9, 2024, at 10:30 am. He faces one to three years in the Colorado Department of Corrections (DOC) for the criminal trespass conviction and two to six years for reckless manslaughter (in the DOC).
Help support the Tampa Free Press by making any small donation by clicking here.
Android Users, Click To Download The Tampa Free Press App And Never Miss A Story. Follow Us On Facebook and Twitter. Sign up for our free newsletter.