Colorado husband allegedly accused by wife of not paying attention to her. Then he goes to the bathroom and returns to find her holding a shotgun

A disagreement in a Colorado apartment over gun safety ended with a shotgun going off and a 911 call just after 1 a.m. Just over two years later, a judge has decided the prison sentence of the man convicted in the shooting.

As first reported by Law&Crime, Denver District Judge Stephanie Scoville sentenced Tyler Nelson, 32, to 40 years in a state correctional facility on Wednesday. He was convicted in August of second-degree murder and first-degree assault in the killing of his wife, 30-year-old Breanna Canter.

The Denver District Attorney’s Office says Nelson made the 911 call on Sept. 24, 2024. He told dispatchers his wife had been shot at their home on South Dayton Street. Officers found Canter on the bedroom floor. The couple’s young son was inside and was not hurt. 

His version of the shooting

Nelson told investigators the two had been arguing before the shooting. He said Canter accused him of “playing games on his cellphone and not paying attention to her,” according to the Denver Post. He said he stepped into the bathroom and came back to find her holding the shotgun and asking about its safety.

Nelson said he reached for the gun and warned her it was unsafe, because both had been drinking. He said she would not let go. He first claimed the shotgun never left its soft case and that his knuckle caught the trigger through the fabric. A California judge who killed his wife with a gun also said the shooting was an accident, though prosecutors later disputed his account. 

Investigators questioned that version of events. Canter had several wounds to her upper right chest and chin area that “did not appear to match up with how Nelson explained the gunshot.” The shotgun was also found outside its case. When detectives pressed him, Nelson said he was no longer sure whether it had been in the case or when it came out, per the Post. The gap between an initial account and what investigators later uncovered also featured heavily in Alex Murdaugh’s case.

The jury ultimately convicted Nelson of second-degree murder and first-degree assault. In Colorado, second-degree murder generally covers a killing done knowingly but without advance planning.

The arrest affidavit also described Nelson’s behavior after the shooting. According to the Post, police wrote:

“Throughout the entire time Nelson was at police headquarters, he never once asked how his wife was doing. He also never asked anyone how his son was doing. … He really didn’t show any emotion about what had occurred.”

Denver District Attorney John Walsh described Canter as “a loving mother and a beloved daughter.” He called her death an “unspeakable tragedy” for her young son and parents.

“Today’s sentence ensures that Tyler Nelson pays a heavy price for his despicable actions,” Walsh said. “It also provides a measure of justice, we hope, for Breanna, for her family, and for her friends.”