Steven Young: Life sentenced murderer of John Cyprian faces second life term for eliminating sole witness

Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.

COLORADO, UNITED STATES: The 48-year-old has been handed a life sentence in prison without the chance of parole on this Friday, January 12, 2024. 

Charley Lewis was not only brutally killed but also happened to be the sole eyewitness to Steven Daniel Young's previous crime – the murder of John Cyprian in Aurora, a case for which Young was convicted in April 2021.

Young was already serving a life sentence for the murder of Cyprian and is now facing a similar fate in connection to Lewis' death.

The grim incident involving Lewis unfolded six days after Cyprian's murder, as Young sought to eliminate the key witness to his earlier crime. 

The investigation brought to light additional details about the circumstances surrounding Lewis' murder and the revelation of her role as the eyewitness to Cyprian's tragic demise as per Law&Crime.

Police found Charly Lewis' body in an alley

As per the affidavit released by the Denver District Attorney's Office, the Denver Combined Communications Center received a 911 call at 5:07 a.m., reporting the discovery of a body in the alley behind 1065 N Federal Blvd. 

The caller, who was riding his bicycle north through the alley, described finding the victim lying face down next to a fence with visible blood. 

Acting swiftly, he flagged down a restaurant employee before making the 911 call and waiting for the police.

Upon police arrival, the victim was discovered lying on her back, slumped against the fence, with a hooded sweatshirt pulled tightly around the head and chin. 

Blood emanated from the head and neck area. A spent .40 caliber shell casing was observed on the ground near her left foot, and a fully intact bullet was found beneath the victim's head. 

Police collected evidence against Steven Young via surveillance footage

After discovering Lewis' remains, police collected surveillance footage from the area. Through gunshot detection reports, it was revealed that a single gunshot had been heard at 4:23 a.m., 44 minutes before the 911 call.

Further investigation led authorities to ascertain that the victim had been a witness to a prior murder and that the suspect, Young, had an outstanding warrant for the first-degree murder of Cyprian issued in Adams County on June 4, 2020.

Due to concerns for Charly Lewis' safety, the Aurora police issued an attempt-to-locate alert. Another surveillance footage from a nearby restaurant captured the victim walking into the alley around 2:30 a.m. with a Black male matching Young's height and weight. 

In the footage, the man wore a mask, blue latex gloves, a gray baseball hat, a maroon shirt with a blue T-shirt over his left shoulder, reflective sweatpants, and black tennis shoes with white soles. 

At 4:25 a.m., approximately 2 minutes after the victim was shot, the man was seen exiting the alley alone.

How did Steven Young kill John Cyprian?

Steven Daniel Young was previously convicted of killing John Cyprian. Young, armed with a .45 caliber handgun, confronted Cyprian, firing a shot that hit him in the small intestine and damaged a major artery. 

Cyprian crawled to a nearby field and succumbed to his injuries while Young returned to the SUV with Lewis and drove away. 

Young was arrested on June 8, 2020, for Cyprian's murder, convicted of first-degree murder on April 2, 2021, and sentenced to life in prison before facing trial in Denver for Lewis' murder.