Two men plead guilty to the murder of East Colfax community leader Ma Kaing

Two men accused of killing East Colfax community leader Ma Kaing in 2022 have pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, according to the Denver District Attorney’s Office.

Nu La, 22, and Swa Bay, 21, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in Kaing’s June 20 death, Denver DA spokesman Matt Jablow said Monday.

Court dates for their sentencing have not yet been set.

La and Bay were initially charged with two counts of first-degree murder and fourteen counts of attempted first-degree murder. The charges were dismissed as part of the settlement.

Kaing, 47, was struck by a stray bullet outside her Xenia Street home on July 15, 2022, when several men linked to gangs opened fire on a car in a nearby playground.

She was unloading dessert pans for her family’s catering company when she was struck in the head and died in her son’s arms. Her death sparked outrage in the East Colfax neighborhood.

Police made four arrests in the weeks after the killings and said at the time they were working to identify a fifth suspect.

The cases against suspects Lu Reh, 22, and Pa Reh, 20, are continuing, court records show. Pa Reh will be arraigned on July 15, and Lu Reh will be arraigned on the same date.