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A Wyoming federal jury has convicted Joseph Beecher, a 51-year-old man from Colorado, on multiple charges, including kidnapping and carjacking, after he attempted to assassinate Michael Bloomberg at his Colorado ranch in 2022. Beecher, who represented himself with minimal help from a court-appointed standby counsel, was found guilty on Wednesday after a swift two-day trial.

The jury deliberated for less than two hours before convicting Beecher on charges of kidnapping, carjacking, using or carrying a firearm during a crime of violence, and transportation of stolen firearms. The conviction comes with the possibility of a life sentence, with a mandatory minimum of seven years in prison. Beecher's sentencing is scheduled for November 18.

The case unfolded after Beecher, who had recently been fired from his job at an apartment complex in Craig, Colorado, broke into his former employer’s home and stole firearms, including a Bushmaster AR-style rifle. He then drove to Bloomberg’s ranch with the intent to kill the former New York City mayor. However, upon finding only a female housekeeper on the property, Beecher took her hostage at gunpoint.

Beecher forced the housekeeper to drive him in her Ford F150 XTR pickup to various locations, allegedly in search of another media mogul in Colorado. He then directed her to a motel in Cheyenne, Wyoming, where SWAT officers eventually rescued her and arrested Beecher in the early hours of February 3, 2022. Fortunately, the housekeeper was physically unharmed.

The investigation was conducted by a coalition of law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, Cheyenne Police Department, Rio Blanco County Sheriff's Office, Colorado Bureau of Investigation, and Craig Police Department.

Beecher was indicted in March 2022 and pleaded not guilty, but his defense strategy failed to convince the jury. The case underscores the serious consequences of such violent actions, with Beecher now facing a potential life sentence.