Man Sentenced To 36 Years For Murder Of Highlands Ranch Resident

A man was sentenced to 36 years in prison for the murder of Fletcher Bodnar, the Arapahoe County district attorney's office announced Wednesday.

Dominique Wogan, 35, shot and killed Bodnar May 15, 2020, in Castle Pines, the office said. The two were partners in a black-market marijuana scheme, according to prosecutors.

Wogan was found guilty March 11 of second-degree murder, illegal cultivation of marijuana and possession with intent to distribute marijuana. He was also a previous felon in possession of a firearm, the DA's office said.

Wogan was growing marijuana in a home in a gated Castle Pines community, where he was staying with permission from the home's owner, the office said. Bodnar was helping Wogan with the operation and the two met for a discussion, according to the DA.

"At some point, Wogan shot Bodnar," the office said in a news release.

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In his trial, Wogan said that he was entitled to a “Make My Day” defense, which gives a homeowner immunity for shooting an intruder. Then text messages showed that Wogan had invited Bodnar over to fight, the DA's office said. By finding Wogan guilty, the jury agreed with the prosecution that Bodnar had been invited to the home, and that Make My Day did not apply.

At the July 1 sentencing hearing, Bodnar's fiancé and family members asked the judge to impose a long sentence.

“I had a life I had planned with Fletcher," his fiancé said. "He was my life, my soulmate, my everything. Now everything has changed. I still don’t sleep well, and work is difficult. … I don’t know how to move on. It’s not fair for someone to take a life and have the possibility to be free again. Fletcher doesn’t get that opportunity.”