Doctor’s widow sues Centennial rampage killer

The widow of a Centennial physician gunned down while he was trying to help the killer’s wife is suing the man in Arapahoe County District Court.

Jeanne Atkinson is suing former neighbor Kevin Lee Lyons for wrongful death in the murder of her 66-yearold husband, Dr. Kenneth Atkinson, according to the lawsuit filed Tuesday.

Although Lyons is serving a prison sentence of life plus 352 years, it is possible he could recoup money from an ongoing civil lawsuit and by other means, said Denver attorney Phil Harding, who represents Jeanne Atkinson.

“We want to prevent a convicted murderer from profiting from future claims,” Harding said Wednesday.

He emphasized, however, that the lawsuit does not seek any money from Lyons’ wife, Elizabeth, or her children.

On April 4, 2016, Atkinson crossed the street from his home at 6192 E. Long Circle to help Elizabeth Lyons, who was lying in a driveway covered in blood after her husband had shot her.

Lyons had shot his wife in the back, and when Atkinson tried to help, Lyons shot him in the leg and point blank in the head. Lyons also shot Laurie Juergens, another neighbor, when she tried to help Elizabeth.

Lyons’ defense attorney claimed he was in a pot- and caffeine-fueled paranoid state and had suffered multiple head injuries from a car wreck and playing sports.