Lakewood man sentenced to 48 years in prison for 2019 murder

Published on January 13, 2026

GREELEY, Colo. (Weld County D.A.) – A Lakewood man will spend the next 48 years in prison after a Weld County jury convicted him of second-degree murder for a second time following an appeal.

Kenneth Hoschouer, 45, was found guilty in a retrial in December for the 2019 murder of Christopher Grau. His original conviction was overturned on appeal, prompting a new trial. Hoschouer was sentenced last week to 48 years in prison.

On July 6, 2019, Firestone police were called to a motorhome on Weld County Road 28, where Grau was found lying on the ground unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the head. Thirteen shell casings were located near his body.

During the investigation, police learned that Hoschouer, his wife, Grau, and Grau’s girlfriend — who is also the defendant’s sister — had been at a home in Lakewood on July 5.

Hoschouer had been drinking heavily when he learned his teenage daughter was dating a 22-year-old man. He began arguing with his wife, angered that she had not told him about the relationship.

Grau attempted to de-escalate the argument and was able to get Hoschouer out of the house. In an effort to calm him down, Grau and Hoschouer drove to Grau’s motorhome in Firestone, where Hoschouer shot and killed him.

Hoschouer was arrested in September 2019 after police, with assistance from an HVAC service company, located the murder weapon hidden in a vent inside his home.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wrenn and Deputy District Attorney Ashley McCuaig prosecuted this case.