Ex-girlfriend found guilty in death of Longmont postal worker

A postal worker’s ex-girlfriend was found guilty Tuesday in his 2021 fatal shooting after a Boulder County jury unanimously convicted her of first-degree murder.

Devan Schreiner, 27, was sentenced to life in prison without parole in the killing of 33-year-old Jason Schaefer, who was working his postal route in Longmont when he was murdered.

The trial, which lasted a week, ended with Shreiner’s immediate sentencing.

The deadly shooting occurred around 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 13, 2021 near Renaissance Drive and Heatherhill Street.

Schreiner approached her ex-boyfriend, who was working at a row of mailboxes, and she shot him three times, including once in the face, prosecutors said. 

They said Andrew James "AJ" Ritchie, Shreiner’s boyfriend, helped her plan the murder after Schaefer filed for additional custody of the child he shared with Schreiner. Ritchie, 34, followed Schaefer throughout the day of the postal worker’s death before he was shot, prosecutors said. Ritchie was working in Littleton's Federal Correctional Institution when he was arrested, according to an affidavit.

Shreiner had previously told Shaefer that Ritchie would shoot him, the document shows.

Two weeks before the shooting, Schreiner had been fired from her job at the post office in Longmont over a dispute with Schaefer, according to the affidavit.

She then began working for the U.S. Postal Service in Loveland, and the agency’s GPS showed tracking stopped for both Schreiner and her postal vehicle during the time of Schaefer’s murder, according to the affidavit.

The defense said Schreiner was corrupted by Ritchie, but Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty called Schreiner a "cold-blooded murderer."

"She took steps to get away with this brutal murder, but she underestimated two things," Dougherty said in a statement. "First, the victim was very much loved by his family and co-workers; the information and support they provided was critical. Also, the US Postal Inspectors and Longmont detectives brought their best efforts and, along with our prosecution team, ensured justice was done. As always, we appreciate the time and service of the jurors."

Schreiner received the mandatory sentence for her crime under Colorado law.

In a victim impact statement read by prosecutors, Schaefer's mother called her son's murder a "living nightmare." She said her family's lives have been "destroyed forever," and that her grandson, now 7, is living with relatives in Connecticut.

Ritchie has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder after deliberation. He is set to appear in court for a motions hearing May 30.

Monte Whaley contributed to this report.