Lumumba Sayers went 6-5 during his professional MMA career. |
Isaac Hinds
Former Strikeforce
competitor Lumumba
Sayers was found guilty of murder and other charges on Monday,
according to a statement by the Adams & Broomfield Colorado
District Attorney’s Office.
An Adams County jury found Sayers guilty of second-degree murder,
tampering with physical evidence and attempt to commit tampering
with physical evidence in relation to the fatal shooting of Malcolm
Watson in Commerce City, Colorado, on August 10, 2024. Sayers is
scheduled for sentencing with Judge Jeffrey Ruff on July 24.
According to Denver7, Sayers testified that he did not shoot
or kill Watson, but he did admit to carrying a gun with out
concealed carry license. Meanwhile, the Denver Post reports that
Sayers gun was never fired that day. Investigators believe that the
gun used to kill Watson was “an untraceable 3-D printed or
kit-built ghost gun.” That weapon has not been recovered.
Sayers allegedly shot Watson to avenge the death of his son,
Lumumba Sayers Jr. According to an arrest affadavit, Sayers
approached a man and shot him in the head at a child’s birthday
party at Pioneer Park in Commerce City The victim was identified as
Watson, who was believed to have been a friend of the man accused
of killing Sayers’ son in 2023. According to witness accounts,
Sayers allegedly walked back to the man’s body and attempted to
shoot him again, but the gun “jammed.” Witnesses also claimed that
Sayers removed a set of keys from Watson’s pocket and attempted to
plant a gun near his body.
Tyrell Braxton was arrested in connection with the death of Sayers’
son, but the murder case has since been dismissed. The exact nature
of the relationship between Watson and Braxton is unclear.
Anti-Gun Advocates
Sayers and his son, Lumumba Sayers Jr., were both anti-gun
advocates who focused on stopping violence in their community. The
elder Sayers started a boxing gym in Aurora, Colorado, called Heavy
Hands Heavy Hearts. Sayers Jr. was involved in a program called
“Gloves Up, Guns Down,” which focused on steering youth away from
violence through combat sports training.
Sayers went 6-5 during a professional MMA career that ran from 2009
to 2014. He went 2-2 under the Strikeforce banner, notably facing
the likes of Derek
Brunson, Scott Smith
and Anthony
Smith during his tenure. More recently, Sayers competed under
the BKFC banner in May 2024, defeating Jeremy
Morrison via first-round stoppage.