Timothy J. Boham

Timothy John Boham also known as Marcus Allen (born May 27, 1981), is a former gay pornographic film actor^[1] who was convicted in 2009^[2] of first-degree murder in the shooting death of 43-year-old Denver businessman John Paul "J P" Kelso. Boham now identifies as a trans woman.^[3]

Her case is featured on the Season 2, Episode 9 titled “Betting on Death”, from the show, Deadly Sins and on the season 1, episode 2 titled “The Porn Identity”, from the show Lethally Blonde.

Porn career as "Marcus Allen"

In November 2002, Boham appeared on the cover of Freshmen magazine (a magazine focusing on 18- to 25-year-old gay men). In the annual survey in 2003, Boham was voted "Freshman of the Year" by a wide margin, and again appeared on the cover in June 2003. This led to opportunities such as with Falcon Entertainment.^[4]

With Falcon Entertainment, Boham appeared in a dozen adult movies under the name "Marcus Allen" in 2004 and 2005.^[1] She was also in Channel I Releasing/Rascal Entertainment's "Never Been Touched" by Chi Chi LaRue. As Marcus Allen, Boham was on the cover of Mandate magazine^[5] in July 2006, apparently for All World's Video. Boham also appeared on the cover of Playgirl Magazine's "campus hunks" issue (November 2006) (and is advertised as "John" of Denver, Colorado, and as having a "smooth body and 'softer' side", p. 32–34).

Downward spiral

The Advocate reported that Boham left porn about a year before the murder and went to live in Denver, eventually working for John Paul "J P" Kelso but only for about 10 days before failing to show up for her job. Kelso was co-owner of a Denver debt recovery business called Professional Recovery Systems; he was a philanthropist "... giving away hundreds of thousands of dollars to charities around the world...."^[1] and was openly gay. Co-workers at the debt recovery business described Boham as "... bright and... [that] it seemed like [s]he had [her] mind on something else."^{[citation needed]}

Murder of Kelso

A housekeeper found Kelso, 43, shot to death in the bathtub of his upscale Congress Park home on November 13, 2006.^[6] The police named Boham as a suspect in the slaying. Boham was arrested on November 16 at the Mexico-U.S. border in Lukeville, Arizona, after identifying herself as the subject of a murder warrant to Customs and Border officers.^[7] She was extradited to Colorado and held without bond.

During [Boham's preliminary hearing], Denver Detective Aaron Lopez testified that in a jailhouse interview in Arizona, where Boham was arrested Nov. 16, Boham said Kelso had asked [her] to go into the master bedroom to cuddle. But Boham, who said [s]he needed money for [her] girlfriend, had other plans, Lopez testified. Boham also cut open the safe and found no money in it, the detective said.^[8]

According to the Denver Post, Boham told her family that she killed Kelso because she believed that he kept a lot of money in his household safe. "Court documents claim that Boham had bipolar disorder and was prone to fits of rage, and that [s]he told [her] mother that [s]he had planned to use the money to go to South America with [her] girlfriend."^[9] But Boham said her plan went awry when Kelso refused to open the safe, and there was a brief struggle during which she accidentally shot Kelso, according to the Post. "Lopez said that Boham confessed to both [her] sister and mother before leaving for Arizona. Before leaving, [s]he repeatedly returned to Kelso's home to clean it up, in hopes that [her] fingerprints and DNA wouldn't be discovered."."^[10]

Trial

Her trial for murder started with jury selection on June 1, 2009.^[11]

She was found guilty on June 9, 2009, and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.^[12]

Gender transition and identity post-trial

Boham now identifies as female and is serving her sentence in a Denver Women's Correctional Facility.^[3]

Footnotes

^ ^a ^b ^c Planetout.com November 17, 2006 "Adult-film actor held in Denver man's death"
^ McPhee, Mike (June 8, 2009). "Former gay-porn actor guilty of Denver murder". The Denver Post. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
^ ^a ^b "CDOC Offender Search". www.doc.state.co.us. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
^ "Ex-porn star pleads insanity in slaying" Archived January 2, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, May 14, 2007, on Gay.Com
^ Mandate, backissues Archived August 6, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
^ Rocky Mountain News November 17, 2006 Archived March 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine "Gay-porn actor accused in businessman's death"
^ Rocky Mountain News November 17, 2006 "Gay-porn actor accused in businessman's death" Archived March 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
^ The Denver Post, "Suspect to stand trial in Kelso murder : Gay-sex actor Timothy Boham is accused of killing the businessman during a Nov. 11 robbery.", By Howard Pankratz. February 6, 2007
^ Planetout.com "Ex-porn star pleads insanity in slaying", March 14, 2007
^ The Denver Post, "Suspect to stand trial in Kelso murder: Gay-sex actor Timothy Boham is accused of killing the businessman during a Nov. 11 robbery.", by Howard Pankratz. February 6, 2007
^ "Murder trial starts for former gay porn star Marcus Allen". Archived from the original on June 28, 2009. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
^ McPhee, Mike (June 8, 2009). "Former gay-porn actor guilty of Denver murder". Denver Post.

References

Affidavit for Arrest, hosted on CourtTV.com