Strangers on…a bus?
A Colorado woman pulled a page from an Alfred Hitchcock script, by killing her boyfriend for making fun of her with the help of a random man she’d met moments before on a bus, prosecutors said.
Ashley White, 29, was found guilty of Cody DeLisa’s second-degree murder after a three-week criminal trial.
DeLisa, 28, was killed, prosecutors said, after he questioned White’s ability to land a decent job.
She was also convicted of conspiracy to commit second-degree murder and robbery stemming from the deadly 2020 incident.
Authorities said the couple’s volatile relationship took an evil turn on Aug. 13, 2020, after White had a job interview in Denver.
White returned home on a bus, and texted DeLisa to tell him about the interview.
“During their exchange, DeLisa expressed skepticism about her chances of getting the job, which upset White,” reads a statement from prosecutors.
While still on the bus, White met a complete stranger who called himself “Scott.”
“Scott asked if she was in a relationship with a man and whether he raped her,” explained the statement. “White responded that he had, and Scott then said they must kill him. “
When they got to White’s home, Scott introduced himself to DeLisa as her brother from Texas.
“A short time later, DeLisa was shot twice in the head. His body was discovered the following day during a welfare check.”
The statement explains White wrote diary entries expressing her resentment for DeLisa.
Investigators learned that, well before the murder, White tried to drown and burn DeLisa’s cat.
After they shot him, White and the stranger left with DeLisa’s wallet.
“Three years after the shooting, a woman identified as the girlfriend of Michael Stratton contacted” prosecutors, “stating she believed her boyfriend was the man responsible for killing DeLisa.”
The press release said her description of Stratton’s confession matched White’s account of the crime.
Stratton is currently in custody for a separate murder that occurred after DeLisa’s killing.
He has not been charged in connection with DeLisa’s murder, and has been declared unfit for trial.
“This was a tragic and senseless murder and Ashley White bears significant culpability for it,” said District Attorney Brian Mason. “Her callous actions led to the victim’s death and now she will pay a significant price.”
The White murder plot differed from the 1951 Alfred Hitchcock film “Strangers on a Train” in that the two strangers who met on the public conveyance arranged to trade murders so each wouldn’t be near the scene of the crime and would not get caught.
White will be sentenced April 4.
