A Colorado man who kidnapped a woman from Michael Bloomberg's ranch and was caught after holding a woman hostage at a Cheyenne motel three years ago was sentenced Thursday to 22 years in prison.
U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson sentenced Joseph Beecher, 51, of Craig, Colorado, to 264 months in federal prison with five years of supervised release to follow, says a Friday statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office of Wyoming.
A jury convicted Beecher of kidnapping, carjacking, using/carrying a firearm during a crime of violence, and transportation of stolen firearms following a three-day trial that ended with a guilty verdict Aug. 28
Beecher lived and worked at an apartment complex in Craig, Colorado.
In the early morning hours of Feb. 2, 2022, Beecher's employer told him his services were no longer needed, according to court documents and evidence presented at trial.
Beecher broke into his employer’s home and stole two firearms, including a Bushmaster AR-style rifle. He then drove to a ranch in Colorado owned by Michael Bloomberg intent on killing Mr. Bloomberg, but he only found a female on the property.
He took the woman hostage at gunpoint and forced her to drive him to various places so he could find and kill another media mogul in Colorado, says the prosecutor's office statement.
Unable to find his second target, Beecher eventually forced the woman at gunpoint to drive him to the Stage Coach Motel in Cheyenne so he could rest and chart his next actions.
In the early morning hours of Feb. 3, 2022, SWAT officers with the Cheyenne Police Department rescued the woman and arrested Beecher at the motel. The woman was physically unharmed.
Beecher was indicted March 17, 2022, and pleaded not guilty four days later. The FBI, Cheyenne Police Department, Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office, Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the Craig Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret Vierbuchen prosecuted Beecher.
Contact Clair McFarland at clair@cowboystatedaily.com
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
