A dispute over a typo on his paycheck led a man to shoot his former boss to death in a Colorado parking lot, police said. Lloyd Clifford Love, 35, faces one count of first-degree murder for fatally shooting 52-year-old Marvin Johnson, who was Love’s former employer, according to a probable cause affidavit from the Aurora Police Department. Love refused to appear in court on Monday, Oct. 24 for his first advisement, KDVR reported. Prosecutors told his family he refused to leave his jail cell for the court appearance, and they seemed “visibly frustrated,” the outlet reported.
Love told arresting officers he was fed up that he was unable to cash his first paycheck because of a typo in his name, the affidavit states. He received his first paycheck from American Eagle Protection Services on Thursday, Oct. 20. It said Lloyd K. Love instead of Lloyd C. Love, the affidavit says.
Fed up, he says he called both Patricia Johnson, co-owner of the company and Marvin Johnson’s wife, as well as Marvin Johnson himself. Later, he met her in the Raytheon parking lot on Centretech Parkway in Aurora to get a new paycheck. The security firm owned by Johnson is employed by Raytheon, the affidavit states. Patricia Johnson told Love that she was not going to write him another check until the old paycheck was accounted for. He got upset, so she had someone call security to kick him off the property, the affidavit says. Marvin Johnson was on his way at that point, and told her to “hold up” on writing the check because he was almost there, the affidavit says.
When he arrived, the men argued, she told police. Then Love pulled out a gun and shot at Marvin Johnson about five times, which Love later confirmed to police. When officers arrived, they found Marvin Johnson suffering from gunshot wounds to his face and body. Security officers were there trying to provide him aid, and paramedics eventually arrived but Johnson didn’t make it, the affidavit says. Officers found five spent .380 shell casings. Witnesses told them Love had fled and gave them a description.
A nearby SWAT officer identified a man who matched the description, who turned out to be Love. He was riding in the passenger seat of a white Ford Explorer when officers stopped the vehicle and arrested Love and his girlfriend, the affidavit says. Love had a criminal record and told officers he had “found” the gun he used to shoot his former employer, the affidavit says.