Teen sentenced to life for killing his rodeo queen ex
to life without the possibility of parole Thursday for the shooting death of Ashley Doolittle, 18, in June 2016
A Colorado teen has been sentenced to life in prison for killing his ex-girlfriend, rodeo queen Ashley Doolittle in a jealous rage.
A judge in Larimer County told 19-year-old Tanner Flores he would spend the rest of his life behind bars without the possibility of parole Thursday for the shooting death of his former girlfriend.
Flores was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony kidnapping in a seven day trial in which prosecutors argued he was unable to move on after breaking up with an 18-year-old Doolittle in June 2016, after he learned of her plan to start dating other people.
Tanner Flores, 19 (left), has been sentenced to life without the possibility of parole in the shooting death of his ex-girlfriend, aspiring rodeo queen Ashley Doolittle, 18 (right)
During an interview with police, Flores allegedly said he murdered Doolittle (pictured together) because he was angry that she had dumped him
On top of his life without parole sentence, he was also handed an additional 32-years in prison on the charge of kidnapping Doolittle, according to the Coloradoan.
'Tanner did more than murder Ashley, he destroyed two families,' said Ann Marie Doolittle, Ashley's mother, as she read a statement to the court.
Doolittle said her daughter was empathetic and even after she had decided she didn't want to date Flores anymore she was worried about his feelings.
'No one can begin to imagine the pain and agony that one goes through when they lose a child,' Doolittle said during her tearful statement.
Flores quietly declined to address the court. His family members, who had been in the courtroom every day of the trial, sat behind him during the sentencing hearing but did not offer any statements to the court.
The mother was also empathetic to her daughter's killers family.
'Our hearts go out to the Flores family, as we know they are going through their own grief and heartache,' she said.
Eighth Judicial District Judge Gregory Lammons concluded 'There's nothing I can say that Ms. Doolittle hasn't already said.'
Flores was arrested on June 10 on his late grandfather's property in Collbran, where he drove five hours after allegedly shooting 18-year-old Ashley Doolittle multiple times in the head while she was riding in his pickup truck.
According to his arrest affidavit, Flores was found with Doolittle's blanket-wrapped body in the cab of his pickup.
She had been reported missing by her family the previous day after her car was found abandoned near Lon Hagler Reservoir in Larimer County - five hours away.
Flores allegedly told police he'd murdered his ex-girlfriend because he'd been 'angry' that she'd ended their year-long relationship.
Flores' 1999 Dodge 2500 pickup truck was found near Doolittle's body in June 2016
Family members told officials Doolittle (left) had recently ended a one-year-relationship with Flores. He will undergo a mental health evaluation before the case against him can proceed
The teen shot her twice in the head and then drove her body five hours away to his grandfather's house in Collbran where he cleaned up the corpse and hid it in the back of his truck, according to the affidavit.
'Tanner was 'upset' over the breakup with Ashley,' one friend told officers, the document stated.
'Another friend stated that Tanner was 'really down' over the breakup and did not know why they were no longer together.'
'Tanner apparently sent a Snapchat message to several friends on (June 8) in the late evening that had a message that was suicidal in nature,' the affidavit said.
Flores' father also told deputies that his .22 caliber revolver was missing from a locked gun cabinet, the affidavit states.
Officials discovered Flores had been missing since 3:30pm on June 7 and issued an alert for him and his 1999 Dodge 2500 pickup truck.
Searchers began looking for Doolittle and Flores 'at first light' that Friday morning in the area near where her vehicle was found the previous day.
Peageant queen: Doolittle, the lady-in-waiting of Boulder County Fair and Rodeo, is pictured right, sitting next to the queen of the rodeo
A neighbor of the 18-year-old's grandfather later contacted the local police department after she saw Flores carrying what appeared to be a bundle of blankets out of the back seat of a truck.
She said that she had then noticed what she thought was a human arm.
Until their recent breakup, the couple had posted several pictures together on social media.
A picture posted to Doolittle's Facebook page in May of 2016 showed the couple posing together in festive outfits.
'Gorgeous babe, I love you,' Flores commented on another picture of Doolittle posted on May 18.
According to the Denver Post, Doolittle was enrolled as an agricultural business major at Colorado State University. She won a $1,000 to attend the university, and was also interested in horses and the rodeo, the Post reported.
A picture posted to the Boulder County Fair and Rodeo Royalty page showed Doolittle in a sash that says 'Lady-in-waiting', meaning she was poised to become the next queen of the rodeo.