Man pleads guilty to murder in death of teen girl found behind Denver dumpster

An 18-year-old pleaded guilty Friday to the murder of a Denver girl whose body was found behind a dumpster in Green Valley Ranch the day after Christmas in 2022.

Man pleads guilty to murder in death of teen girl found behind Denver dumpster

An 18-year-old accepted a plea deal Friday that included a guilty to second-degree murder in the death of a Denver girl whose body was found behind a dumpster.

Deontre Hollie, 18, pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder and one count of first-degree assault, the Denver District Attorney’s Office said Monday in a statement. The man faces up to 80 years in prison.

Multiple charges of first-degree murder and tampering with evidence were dismissed from Hollie’s case as part of the plea agreement, according to court records.

In December 2022, then-17-year-old Hollie shot and killed 16-year-old Tayanna Manuel and shot another teenage boy.

Manuel’s body was found by Denver police officers in the early morning of Dec. 26, 2022, behind a dumpster at 4927 North Sedalia St., the arrest affidavit stated. Hollie dumped the body there after shooting both Manuel and the other teenage boy at 4699 North Kittredge St.

Investigators used cell phone records and witness accounts to put Hollie and Manuel together on the day of the shooting, Dec. 23, according to the affidavit.

Witnesses told investigators the pair left a residence where their friends were hanging out together around 6:05 p.m. in a 2012 Honda SUV driven by Hollie. Only Hollie returned.

Hollie was tried as an adult and faces up to 80 years in prison when he is sentenced on Sept. 20, the DA’s office said.

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