A man was convicted Friday in Adams County of attempted second-degree murder after he doused his mother in gasoline and threatened to set her on fire while they were driving in Commerce City late last year.

Matthew Nicholas, 41, also was convicted of attempted first-degree assault and three-degree motor vehicle theft after a five-day jury trial, according to a news release from the 17th Judicial District. Nicholas is set for sentencing Oct. 28.

Commerce City police said they arrested Nicholas after he became upset with his mother on Dec. 12 while they were running errands and she was driving. Nicholas demanded she play a game of “truth or dare,” according to the news release, and threatened to shave her head if she didn’t tell the truth.

The woman said Nicholas was angry because she had sold her restaurant and was going to sell her house, leaving Nicholas without a job or place to stay, an initial probable-cause affidavit stated. She also alleged Nicholas was upset because he felt she had cheated him out of the inheritance money he was supposed to receive.

Nicholas dumped a cup of gasoline on his mother, according to the release, and pulled out a lighter. His mother then pulled the car over in a nearby construction area, jumped out and called for help. One construction worker used a concealed handgun to subdue Nicholas and his mother and keep them apart until law enforcement arrived, according to an affidavit.

District Attorney Brian Mason called the crime “egregious and unthinkable” in a statement announcing the conviction.

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Originally Published: August 23, 2024 at 4:24 p.m.