Anti-violence advocate accused of killing man in retaliation for death of 23-year-old son, convicted of murder

Jurors only needed two hours to convict Lumumba Sayers Sr. of fatally shooting Malcolm Watson outside of a birthday party for Watson’s son.

A jury in Colorado convicted former MMA fighter Lumumba Sayers Sr. of second-degree murder in relation to the killing of 28-year-old Malcolm Watson. Sayers, an anti-violence activist in Colorado, shot and killed Watson outside of a children’s birthday party in 2024.

According to the Denver Post, the 47-year-old Sayers believed Watson was responsible for the death of his 23-year-old son, Lumumba Sayers Jr., who was shot and killed in 2023.

The elder Sayers was also convicted of tampering with physical evidence and attempting to tamper with physical evidence. Per a release from the Adams County District Attorney, Sayers is expected to be sentenced on July 24, 2026.

Watson’s death occurred outside a birthday party for his son as witnesses watched in horror, according to CBS News.

“I didn’t think it was going to make me feel better because, you know, I’m more focused on the loss of Malcolm than anything else going on right now,” Watson’s girlfriend said of the jury’s decision. “But, actually did make me feel very relieved.”

Fueled by rage over the death of his son, Sayers mistook Watson for the gunman who took his son’s life. In reality, Watson only knew the person who gunned down the young man. The man charged in connection with the killing, Tyrell Braxton, had his case dismissed. Later, he was convicted of being a felon in possession of ammunition and was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

Before he retired from MMA, Sayers fought for several promotions, including Strikeforce. After stepping away from the sport following a three-fight losing streak in 2014, he returned to MMA by participating in a Bare Knuckle fight in 2024, which he won in 12 seconds.

Sayers ran the anti-violence program Heavy Hands Heavy Hearts Center, a nonprofit aimed at helping the youth who received funding from both the city of Denver and the state of Colorado. According to a CPR report, Sayers had received over half a million dollars in funding for one program and had aimed to have his prior criminal convictions sealed to secure that funding.

His defense team argued that he was carrying a weapon on the day Watson was killed, but only because of his work as an anti-violence activist and insisted he was a bystander to the shooting.