DENVER – Timothy Boham, who in 2004 and 2005 performed in gay porn under the stage name Marcus Allen, was convicted Monday of first-degree murder in the death of his male lover and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Boham, 28, took the stand in his own defense late last week, saying wealthy Denver businessman John “J.P.” Kelso, 43, committed suicide and the murder scene was contrived as part of an elaborate scheme to defraud Kelso’s life-insurance company. The nine women and three men on the jury did not buy his testimony and required fewer than five hours to deliberate before rendering a verdict.

Colorado is not a death-penalty state. Boham received the maximum penalty allowed by state law. Judge Will Hood Jr. is expected to hand down the formal sentence on Tuesday.

During the five-day trial, witnesses testified that Boham and Kelso met in 2005. At the time, Boham was working as an escort, and Kelso paid the young man for sex. Later, Boham went to work for Kelso’s Professional Recovery Systems, a debt-collection agency.

Over the next 11 months the men “hung out together” frequently, according to Boham’s testimony. And then, according to police, on the afternoon of Nov. 13, 2006, Boham shot his benefactor in the head at Kelso’s home. Witnesses testified Boham returned to the house several times to clean the scene and steal Kelso’s safe — which he admitted cutting open with a power saw — before fleeing to his mother’s home in Aurora, Colo.

Boham’s mother and sister testified he admitted the killing to them. After that, he fled to Arizona, where on Nov. 16 he was taken into custody by border agents to whom he identified himself as a murder suspect while trying to cross into Mexico, according to court records. He confessed to the crime during a videotaped interview with police; the videotape was played for the jury at trial.

Boham’s mother, sister and a former girlfriend all testified for the prosecution, saying the young man had a history of bipolar disorder and was prone to violent outbursts. In addition, Boham’s mother said he told her he killed Kelso because he suspected the older man kept as much as $400,000 in the safe, and Boham needed the money so he could relocate to South America with his girlfriend.

Boham got his start in adult entertainment when, in November 2002, he appeared on the cover of Freshmen magazine. He was named Freshman of the Year in 2003, and again appeared on the magazine’s cover in June of that year. Reportedly he used the Freshmen experience as a stepping stone to roles in a dozen or so gay adult titles for Falcon Entertainment and an appearance in Chi Chi LaRue’s Never Been Touched (Channel 1 Releasing-Rascal Video). In 2006, he appeared on the covers of Mandate and Playgirl magazines.

Fans had a tough time adjusting to the news of Boham’s arrest, much less his conviction.

“I met Tim Boham, aka Marcus Allen, in Denver about four years ago when he was an escort for boysnextdoor,” one poster wrote on a message board dedicated to Boham’s trial. “I saw him three times in three days, and he was awesome to be with and very sweet. If he was not gay, he enjoyed sucking cock better than any straight guy I ever met. I think he was bisexual and enjoyed it, but couldn’t deal with the labels. We kept in touch for a bit and he was always trying to get me to buy him a Pontiac GTO. I would define him as a grifter, and some times grifters get what they deserve before they figure out there is no easy way to make it in this world.”

Another noted, “He was such a breath of fresh air when he first popped (out) onto the scene. His kind eyes and reassuring smile made me fall for him instantly. Yeah, I know you can’t judge someone’s character from outward beauty, but there is still something about this young man that makes me believe in him. Gay or straight, clothed or blissfully naked, I still hope for him the best.”

(Images: Freshmen)