COMMERCE CITY, Colo.– A man has been sentenced for an attack on a Denver real estate agent at a Commerce City condominium complex in August.

Ernest Robert Chrisman, 43, was sentenced Friday to 16 years in prison for attempted aggravated robbery in an attack on a real estate agent at Aspen Hills Condominiums in August of 2019.

Real estate agent Dawna Hetzler had just arrived at a condo for an open house. She has been in the real estate business for 14 years.

As she turned on the lights at the home, a man knocked on the front door. He said he was interested in the property.

“He was asking the right questions about how long it had been on the market. We talked about loans and what he might qualify for,” Hetzler said.

Hetzler showed him the kitchen and living room area. Then, he asked to see the rooms upstairs.

“At that point, we got into the master bedroom and he pulled a knife out,” she said.

Cornered in the master bedroom, Hetzler said the man laid out a knife and six-inch rope.

“He wanted me to take off my ring and go in the closet, and at that point, his intentions were deadly, in my opinion,” Hetzler said.

Fearing for her life, Hetzler drew her handgun that she is licensed to carry.

“As I drew my firearm, and he saw that I had that, he doused me with bear spray. At that point, I could not see. I could barely see. My skin was burning, my eyes were on fire and so I fired,” she said.

Chrisman admitted that he planned to rob the real estate agent because he needed money