On the afternoon of November 4, 1992, Trooper Lyle Fredrick Wohlers, 51, a Colorado State Patrol veteran with 26 years of service, was on duty along Interstate 70 near Georgetown when he conducted a traffic stop of a car occupied by two teenagers. The 15-year-old driver, Marcus Fernandez, gave a false name and the license plate did not match the vehicle’s registration, prompting Wohlers to radio for backup. While he was investigating, Fernandez produced a .38 caliber handgun and shot Wohlers in the head. The two youths, Marcus Fernandez and his accomplice T.J. White, fled in the vehicle; Wohlers died of his wound the next day, November 5, 1992, which was his 31st wedding anniversary.

Both suspects were caught later the same day while traveling toward Denver and were charged and tried as adults. Fernandez was identified as the shooter and was convicted and sentenced to life without parole; White received a 32-year sentence for his role. Does anyone have memories of the scene along I-70 that afternoon or information about Trooper Wohlers’ service in the patrol community?