fullscreen

eFinder

eFinder

Home › Article

Trial begins for Conifer man accused of shooting teen in the face in 2024; defense blames flawed firearm

Denver7 · · 1704 words · By Stephanie Butzer
headphones Listen to the eFinder podcast briefing
Ready to play
Daily briefing

What to know about Trial begins for Conifer man accused of shooting teen in the face in 2024; defense blames flawed firearm

— The jury trial has started for a Conifer man accused of shooting a boy in the face after the two teens went onto — and then left — his property looking for a place to take homecoming pictures.

Claims checked 17
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center100%
Right0%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

— The jury trial has started for a Conifer man accused of shooting a boy in the face after the two teens went onto — and then left — his property looking for a place to take homecoming pictures.

Why it matters

Prosecutors are arguing this was clear assault and the defense blamed the firearm for malfunctioning.

Common ground

Brent John Metz's trial started Wednesday morning in Jefferson County.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.denver7.com/news/local-news/in-your-community/jeffco/trial-begins-fo…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 17 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 7
info Single Source 4
verified Verified By Reference 2
help Insufficient Evidence 2
verified Verified 1
check_circle Corroborated 1
schedule
Claim 1: “His whole life was built around gun safety and ownership, from his time in Eagle Scouts to his service in the U.S. Air Force.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
verified
Claim 2: “At 4:15 p.m., a woman later identified as Metz's girlfriend called 911 to report trespassers”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence for claim 3 consists of irrelevant Wikipedia entries and a general report on jury selection; it does not mention a 911 call at 4:15 p.m. by a girlfriend.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Charles III (17 September 879 – 7 October 929), called the Simple or the Straightforward (from the Latin Carolus Simplex), was the king of West Francia from 898 until 922 and the king of Lotharingia f…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_the_Simple
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Gozlin (c. 911 – between 19 October 942 and 16 February 943) was count of the Ardennes and the Bidgau. He was also army commander for his brother, Adalbero I of Metz. Gozlin was a son of Count Palatin…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gozlin,_Count_of_Bidgau_and_Me…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Louis the Child (893 – 20/24 September 911), sometimes called Louis III or Louis IV, was the king of East Francia from 899 until his death and was also recognized as king of Lotharingia after 900. He …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_the_Child
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 3: “The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office (JCSO) said two teens had trespassed on Metz's property, which is located along the 23000 block of Pleasant Park Road”
VERIFIED
A web search result explicitly states that the sheriff's office said two teens had allegedly trespassed on Metz's property along the 23000 block of Pleasant Park Road.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 5 days ago ... Also some complaints of accidental discharge. Obviously he point the weapon at the victim. Will re-word my claim. 1d · 2 likes.
https://www.facebook.com/fox31denver/posts/brent-metz-was-fo…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Apr 28, 2025 ... That day, the sheriff's office said two teens had allegedly trespassed on Metz's property, along the 23000 block of Pleasant Park Road ...
https://www.denver7.com/news/local-news/conifer-man-accused-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jan 20, 2026 ... Trial date set for man accused of shooting teen who allegedly trespassed on his Conifer property. Brent John Metz's trial will begin May 22 ...
https://www.facebook.com/Denver7News/posts/a-trial-date-is-s…
check_circle
Claim 4: “Metz pulled up in a truck and fired one round through the other car's windshield”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web search results confirm that Metz got out of his truck and fired one round through the windshield of the teenagers' car.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Charlize Theron ( shar-LEEZ THERR-ən; Afrikaans: [ʃarˈlis ˈtrɔn]; born 7 August 1975) is a South African and American actress and producer. One of the world's highest-paid actresses, she is the recipi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlize_Theron
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mick Dalla-Vee is a Canadian singer, songwriter, producer, engineer, and multi-instrumentalist.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mick_Dalla-Vee
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Office is the title of several mockumentary sitcoms based on a British series originally created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant as The Office in 2001. The original series also starred Gerva…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Office
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 5: “Inside the truck that Metz was driving, a handgun was found on the center console. In total, four firearms were recovered from the truck.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
verified
Claim 6: “This case started on Sept. 10, 2024.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence for claim 1 contains irrelevant information (movies, sports, general crime stats) and does not mention the specific date of September 10, 2024, in relation to Brent Metz.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Charlize Theron ( shar-LEEZ THERR-ən; Afrikaans: [ʃarˈlis ˈtrɔn]; born 7 August 1975) is a South African and American actress and producer. One of the world's highest-paid actresses, she is the recipi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlize_Theron
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — John Gruber (born 1973) is a technology blogger, UI designer, and co-creator of the Markdown markup language. Gruber writes the Apple enthusiast blog Daring Fireball and hosts its accompanying podcast…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gruber
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Office is the title of several mockumentary sitcoms based on a British series originally created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant as The Office in 2001. The original series also starred Gerva…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Office
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 7: “Metz was arrested and formally charged with second-degree assault (recklessly causing a serious bodily injury with a deadly weapon), two counts of felony menacing and illegal discharge of a firearm.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence provided for claim 5 is entirely irrelevant, discussing Brent Crude oil prices rather than the legal charges against Brent John Metz.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 1 day ago · The live BRT USD prices in Dollars you see here are updated every 60 seconds real-time. Convert the Brent Oil prices into the major currencies, without the need to refresh the page.
https://www.exchangerates.org.uk/commodities/live-brent-crud…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The current price of Brent crude oil today is $93.15 per barrel. Live charts, historical data, futures contracts, and breaking news on Brent prices can be found below.
https://oilprice.com/futures/brent/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Brent Crude is a particularly light crude oil which is carried from the North Sea to the Sullom Voe Terminal on Mainland, Shetland by an underwater pipeline.
https://markets.businessinsider.com/commodities/oil-price
help
Claim 8: “Metz had a loaded 9mm handgun with a live round in the chamber on his person.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found after searching for this specific detail regarding the firearm's state.
schedule
Claim 9: “The first witness who testified in the trial was 17-year-old Luke Brookhouser”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 10: “He pleaded not guilty to the charges in April 2025.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence discusses convictions in 2026, but there is no mention of a not guilty plea specifically in April 2025.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 5 days ago ... They say you can't find him not guilty of second-degree assault reckless use of a weapon and guilty of illegal discharge of a firearm which is ...
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZEY2mxHYse/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 4 days ago ... Jury finds Colorado man guilty of felony for shooting teen who was on his property. Brent Metz was convicted in one of the four felonies.
https://www.facebook.com/ColoradoPublicRadio/posts/brent-met…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 5 days ago ... BREAKING NEWS: Former Mountain View councilman Brent Metz has been convicted in the 2024 shooting of a teenager and sent straight to jail to ...
https://www.facebook.com/SteveStaegerNews/posts/breaking-new…
help
Claim 11: “The bullet entered the teen's nose and split into three pieces, including one piece that was lodged behind his left eyeball”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found after searching for the specific medical details of the bullet's path and fragmentation.
schedule
Claim 12: “He has carried a concealed carry permit since he was 19 years old and has been professionally trained on firearm safety.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 13: “The 15-year-old and 17-year-old were lifelong friends.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence provided for claim 7 discusses a different person (a 7-year-old named Griffey Metz) or general details of the shooting, but does not confirm the victims were lifelong friends.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 4 days ago ... Metz allegedly pulled out his pistol to confront the boys when it discharged. The victim told deputies that he did not believe Metz shot him ...
https://www.facebook.com/ColoradoPublicRadio/posts/brent-met…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 4 days ago ... Griffey Metz, a 7-year-old known for his energetic personality and recognizable hairstyle, died Saturday night, days after he was hit by a ...
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZFoXg3CKQp/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 5 days ago ... Tampa Bay... The crash happened around 8:15 p.m. on Cloudless Bliss Drive near Skybrook Boulevard in a neighborhood where the child was riding a ...
https://www.facebook.com/WKRCTV/posts/griffey-metz-a-7-year-…
schedule
Claim 14: “the type of firearm Metz had — a SIG Sauer P320”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 15: “Brent John Metz's trial started Wednesday morning in Jefferson County.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While web results confirm Brent Metz had a trial in Jefferson County and testified in his defense, the specific detail that it started on a 'Wednesday morning' is not explicitly corroborated by multiple independent sources in the provided evidence. One source mentions jury selection began on May 22, 2026 (which was a Thursday).
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of American films released in 2022. The 2022 release schedule includes numerous notable films that were originally scheduled for release in 2020 and 2021, but were postponed due to the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_American_films_of_2022
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Muny, or the Municipal Opera Association of St. Louis, Missouri, in the United States, is a not-for-profit municipally owned outdoor theatre, the largest in the United States. The Theater was buil…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_The_Muny_repertory
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Steven Paul Jobs (February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011) was an American businessman, inventor, and investor. A pioneer of the personal computer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s, Jobs co-founded Apple…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Jobs
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 16: “a crime scene investigator at the shooting scene found that the empty shell casing for the single bullet Metz fired was stuck in the gun”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 17: “That note was found in a cup holder of the car by investigators, which started with "hello homeowner, my name is Luke."”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.