Denver man sentenced to 32 years’ prison time in girlfriend’s murder, tell me about this news in (https://www.denverpost.com/2026/09/25/denver-murder-innis-collins-noller-rice/)
25-09-2026
In September 2026, 42-year-old Innis Lee Collins was sentenced to 32 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to second-degree murder for the killing of his girlfriend, 19-year-old Namantha Noller Rice.
Case Background and Details:
The Incident: On April 22, 2022, Collins assaulted and strangled Rice inside his apartment at the YMCA building near East 16th Avenue and North Broadway in downtown Denver.
Discovery: On the morning of April 23, 2022, Rice was found deceased in a building stairwell. The Denver Medical Examiner determined her cause of death was blunt-force trauma and asphyxia.
Evidence: Surveillance footage from the building showed Collins carrying what appeared to be an unconscious body out of his apartment toward the stairwell late on Friday night, April 22. Additional footage showed him discarding items in nearby dumpsters, where detectives subsequently recovered blood-stained boots and clothing. A search of his apartment revealed further blood evidence.
Prior History: Collins had previously been arrested in February 2022 for domestic violence assault involving Rice.
Following a guilty plea to second-degree murder, the court ordered him to serve 32 years in state prison.