Mother's wait for justice is over

Jury returns guilty verdict in 2004 murder of Gregory Vann, 20

Ivan Moreno, Rocky Mountain News

Published January 31, 2007 at midnight

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CENTENNIAL - There were moments when Annetta Vann didn't know whether she could wait another day.

It already had been two and a half years of waiting for Sir Mario Owens to go on trial for killing her 20-year-old son, Gregory. By Tuesday afternoon, the jury had been deliberating for more than two days.

So when Arapahoe County District Judge Michael J. Spear read the guilty verdict to an expressionless Owens, the 51- year-old mother said she didn't know whether she would faint.

"I don't know what to say," Vann said, a smile spreading across her face. "I've been waiting for this for two and a half years. And finally, justice."

After a brief pause, she looked up and said, "I know my baby is smiling at me."

Owens, 22, was convicted of first-degree murder, which means he will spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole.

When Spears read the verdict, a group of Vann's supporters whispered, "Yes!"

Owens also was convicted on two counts of attempted second-degree murder for shooting Javad Marshall-Fields and Vann's brother, Elvin Bell, when they tried to stop him from fleeing the scene of the July 4, 2004, violence.

Prosecutors said Owens and Robert Ray, who has been convicted of attempted first-degree murder in the death of Vann, started a fight at a party hosted by Vann and his friends at Lowry Park.

Witnesses said Vann was trying to keep the peace when Owens shot him.

Vann's slaying allegedly led to the deaths of Marshall-Fields and his fiancee, Vivian Wolfe, who were gunned down June 20, 2005. Marshall-Fields was set to testify about Vann's murder the following week.

Owens, Ray and Parish Carter were indicted in March for the deaths of Marshall- Fields and Wolfe. They are awaiting trial in that case, in which prosecutors could seek the death penalty.

During the three weeks of Owens' trial and the days the jury deliberated, Vann said she braced herself to expect anything and not get her hopes up.

Vann said she knew she "had to keep going because my baby deserved that much."

Owens' defense attorneys argued he acted in self-defense because he was surrounded by a rowdy crowd. But Arapahoe County Chief Deputy District Attorney John Hower said Owens shot Vann once then stood over him after he fell and fired another shot into his chest.

"That doesn't sound like self-defense," Hower said.

Vann said she often thinks of the son she couldn't imagine losing - the son who she recalled would jump into her bed and ask, "Are you sleep?" before telling her about his day.

"It hurts," Vann said as tears rolled down her cheeks. "It's hard, but we'll make it."What's next

• Sir Mario Owens, 22, convicted of first-degree murder in the death of Gregory Vann, is awaiting trail in the deaths of Javad Marshall-Fields and Vivian Wolfe. He has entered a plea of not guilty.

• Robert Ray, 21, convicted of attempted first-degree murder in the Vann case, is awaiting trail in the deaths of Marshall-Fields and Wolfe. He also has entered a plea of not guilty.

• Parish Carter, 24, is awaiting trail in the deaths of Marshall-Fields and Wolfe. His attorneys have asked for a competency evaluation before he enters a plea.The victims

• Javad Marshall-Fields, 22, and his fiancee, Vivian Wolfe, were killed June 20, 2005, a week before Marshall-Fields was to testify as a witness in the Vann case. The Arapahoe County District Attorney's Office plans to announce whether to seek the death penalty for the killings.

morenoi@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2895

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