It was just before 3 am on a cold December Monday morning in 1990 when Steve Morgan of Credit Casualty Recovery and his partner arrived at the Lakewood, Colorado residence of Robert F. Willner. 24-year-old Steve was still in training and on his third week on the job when they spotted the 1983 Chevrolet pick-up in the driveway. Under the experienced supervision of a senior adjuster, Steve approached the vehicle, entered and started the engine. Backing out of the driveway, the front door of the house flew open.
Bare foot and in his underwear, Willner chased Steve two doors down, pistol in hand. The truck’s transmission was broken and Willner caught up to him firing four shots at close range through the windshield. Married father of two, Steve Morgan was killed on the spot as his supervisor watched from across the street in horror. Limp and lifeless, the truck rolled back into a neighbor’s front yard as Willner ran back to the house, got dressed and fled.
Willner later surrendered and went on trial in 1991. As is the disingenuous custom, Willner claimed he thought it was being stolen. The DA argued that Willner had been working on the truck and knew it wouldn’t run. Willner was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
“Over a $6,500 truck, he chooses to take a human life. This is murder.” Stated Dave Wright, owner of Credit Casualty Recovery and head of the Colorado Association of Professional Repossessors.
This was not Willner’s first shooting encounter. A year earlier he was arrested for chasing and firing at three men he accused of stealing a Christmas tree on his lot. “He was just waiting to kill somebody and I believe he’s the kind of person who would do it again. Because he’s the kind of guy who says you mess with me and I’ll kill you,” later stated veteran “Cadillac Repo Man” Bill Bowser.
“I have bits and pieces of memories,” said Chris Harris, Morgan’s son, who said all the years have not eased the pain of only knowing his father through photos. “The hardest part for me was not having a dad to help me through life, to teach what his dad taught him.”
In 2011, Governor Bill Ritter issued several last-minute pardons, and he commuted Willner’s sentence, making him eligible for parole in December 2015, after serving 25 years. Despite pleases from Morgan’s family, in 2021, at the age of 70, Willner was granted parole. – The Daily Sentinel (Grand Junction, CO) – December 11,1990 and CUCollector, October 7, 2014
Remembering the fallen – Steve Morgan – Repossession Violence
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