Man convicted, sentenced to life in prison for murder of Denver community leader Ma Kaing

A second man convicted of first-degree murder in the fatal East Colfax shooting of community leader Ma Kaing was sentenced to life in prison on Friday, the Denver District Attorney’s Office said.

Pa Reh, 21, will spend the rest of his life in the Colorado Department of Corrections without the possibility of parole, the mandatory sentence after he was convicted of first-degree murder by a Denver jury in July.

Reh was one of four men charged in Kaing’s death in the 1300 block of Xenia Street in July 2022, which sparked community outrage and calls for change in how 911 calls are handled by phone companies.

Kaing, 42, was unloading dessert from her car outside her family’s apartment building when Reh and three others began shooting at a passing car driven by people they had a dispute with.

She died at the scene in her son’s arms.

Kaing’s family, friends and community have described her as a vital part of the East Colfax neighborhood, where she served on the neighborhood association’s board of directors, volunteered at a nearby food bank and was quick to help anyone in need.

Kaing and her family had opened Taw Win Thai and Burmese Restaurant just six months before her death.

“Her murder was an unspeakable tragedy for her family, for her immigrant community and, frankly, for all of us in Denver,” Denver District Attorney John Walsh said in a statement Friday. “…That sentence cannot bring Ma Kaing back, but it can send the powerful message that violence will not be tolerated in Denver.”

A second man charged with first-degree murder in Kaing’s shooting, Lu Reh, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in May. Two others, Nu La and Swa Bay, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in July and have sentencing hearings set for September.

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