Woman faces life in prison
Aurora resident convicted of killing her mom
An Aurora woman Tuesday was convicted of firstdegree murder in the 2013 Thanksgiving Day shooting death of her mother in Eagle County.
Traci Cunningham, 30, who was found guilty of multiple charges by a jury, faces a mandatory life sentence, according to a Clear Creek County District Attorney’s Office media release.
On Nov. 28, 2013, Cunningham borrowed a friend’s car and drove her mother, Penelope Sue Cunningham, from their Aurora home to Gypsum and then to a remote spot about 15 miles up Gypsum Creek Road, according to prosecutors.
The car stopped and Penelope got out.
Cunningham grabbed a handgun stashed in the back seat and “shot her mother multiple times,” according to the release.
Hikers found Penelope’s body the next morning lying on a dirt road.
“The crime is virtually inexplicable as the victim was doing nothing but trying to help the defendant in every way possible,” District Attorney Bruce Brown said in the news release. “The jury’s verdict provides justice for Penelope Cunningham.”
Traci Cunningham will be sentenced Wednesday by Judge Russell Granger.
A mistrial was declared in April after Eagle officials were unable to impanel a jury due to extensive publicity, the DA’s office said, so the case was moved to Clear Creek County.