Denver police widow Anna VanderJagt and Lisl Auman, the woman she holds responsible for her husband's death, shared the same courtroom Monday for the first time in seven years.

But unlike past hearings, the two found themselves arguing for common goals: accountability and freedom.

VanderJagt stood at a podium and told a judge she wants to move forward.

"I believe that acceptance is a large part of healing and I am fully determined to heal. . . . My only hope is that you, Lisl Auman, will take this opportunity (and) make a productive life for yourself," she said.

A few minutes later, Auman expressed sadness of her own, acknowledging that she lied to investigators after officer Bruce VanderJagt was gunned down.

"As the day progressed, events spiraled out of my control; fear took a hold of me, and I made some very stupid and ultimately detrimental choices," she said. "This can and will never be erased, and nobody is more sorry about this than me."

The statements fell on a hushed courtroom as Auman was sentenced to a halfway house program for her role in VanderJagt's 1997 killing.

Denver District Judge Christina Habas' sentence is likely among the final courtroom chapters in the highly publicized case with opposing emotions and legal philosophies, and an unusual supporting cast that stretched from Hollywood to Woody Creek.

Auman, now 29, was handcuffed in the back of a police car when a man she had met the night before shot and killed VanderJagt after a break-in at her ex-boyfriend's apartment. The gunman, Matthaus Jaehnig, then shot himself.

A jury convicted her of felony burglary and felony murder. Defendants convicted of felonies that end in a slaying are held as responsible as the person who pulled the trigger.

Auman received a sentence of life without parole.

A-list Hollywood actors and prominent attorneys, led by recently deceased writer Hunter S. Thompson, took up Auman's cause and hammered the felony murder law.

In March, the Colorado Supreme Court upheld the felony murder statute but overturned Auman's conviction on the basis of faulty jury instructions.

Faced with the possibility of a gut-wrenching new trial, prosecutors and defense attorneys carved out a plea deal instead.

On Monday, Anna VanderJagt told the judge that her body senses the anniversary of her husband's death through the "changes in temperature and light."

"My subconscious never seemed to forget that Bruce was killed on a cold and gray November day when there was snow on the ground," she said.

She urged Auman to take responsibility and make the most of her second chance.

"Admit it and move forward," she said.

Auman stood behind a separate podium as the widow read her statement that lasted almost five minutes. Auman was comforted with a hand on her back by public defender Susan Fisch.When it was her turn, Auman also read from a speech, turning the pages through handcuffs the judge had declined to remove, citing standard procedure.

Auman took a long sip of water and began by thanking VanderJagt for backing the plea agreement. She then took "complete responsibility" for her actions on Nov. 12, 1997.

Auman spoke of the officer's daughter, now 10.

"My heart undeniably goes out to the most innocent victim of all, and that's Bruce's little girl, Hayley, who will never get the precious opportunity to know the heroic love of her daddy," she said.

The speeches and sentencing in Courtroom 16 did not result in Auman's immediate freedom.

She will stay in the county jail until a bed at the all-female Tooley Hall opens up - a wait that is expected to last six to eight weeks, said Greg Mauro, assistant director of the Community Corrections program in which Auman will participate.

Under her sentence, Auman will be supervised for about nine years, including at least six months in the halfway house.

Habas encouraged Auman to take "full advantage" of restorative justice, a program that seeks to have the accused help victims heal through community service and the possibility of face-to-face meetings with those most harmed.

"You now have the opportunity by your actions and not merely your words to make this community heal," Habas told Auman.

Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey, who attended the hearing, said later, "Now it's up to her. The ball is in her court."

The Auman family welcomed the challenge. Stepfather Rob Auerbach said Auman will go "above and beyond" what is required of her.

"Lisl will prove herself to be worthy and responsible," added Auman's mother, Colleen Auerbach.

Denver Police Chief Gerry Whitman spoke with VanderJagt before the half-hour hearing and sat through the proceedings.

Whitman said he believes Auman should have remained behind bars but made clear that he also supports the VanderJagt family's wishes.

"If Bruce's family is satisfied, we back them 100 percent," he said outside court. "Whatever Bruce's family needs."

kassj@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-892-2406. Staff writers Felix Doligosa and Joe Garner contributed to this report.

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