Brandon Olsen Sentenced to Eight Years in Prison

DENVER — Denver District Attorney John Walsh has announced that Brandon Olsen was sentenced today to eight years in the Colorado Department of Corrections.  He was also found responsible for restitution, though the exact amount will be determined at a later date.  On July 25, Olsen pleaded guilty to one count of Arson.

On January 2, 2024, Olsen broke into the Colorado State Supreme Court building, stole keys to the building from a security guard at gunpoint, started fires in three different areas of the seventh floor, and then fired his gun several times inside the building and through the building’s windows.  At this point, it is estimated that Olsen caused more than twenty-five million dollars in damage, though a final damage assessment is not expected to be completed until the end of 2026.

“This case is a dramatic example of the terrible damage done to our community by illegal drug use.  At the time of this incident, Olsen was heavily addicted to and using fentanyl and methamphetamines.  That addiction led to his actions, threatening two people’s lives, causing tens of millions of dollars in damage, and severely disrupting the work of the Colorado Judicial Branch, the Colorado Department of Law, and numerous other government agencies – a disruption that continues to this day,” said DA Walsh.

“But addiction does not excuse Olsen’s actions, as he himself acknowledged today, and this afternoon he was held accountable for the extensive damage and disruption that he caused. I want to thank the prosecutors, investigators and victim advocates in my office, Denver Police Department Detectives Mark Crider and Christopher Fayles, and investigators with the Denver Fire Department, whose outstanding work brought about the successful resolution of this case.  I also want to acknowledge the members of the Metro SWAT team and Colorado State Patrol who responded to the scene the day of the incident and brought about Olsen’s arrest.”

Deputy District Attorney Heather Olin led the prosecution team for the Denver DA’s Office.

About the Denver DA’s Office:

The mission of the Denver DA’s Office is to protect the community, to seek equal justice for all, and to improve the quality and fairness of criminal justice on behalf of the people of Colorado.   We achieve that mission through excellence in our work investigating and prosecuting crime, supporting victims and their families, working with the community to prevent crime, and providing fair alternatives to incarceration in appropriate cases.

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