Terry Span, the guitarist involved in bar fight with his roommate on Oct. 11, has died, according to Colorado Springs police.

Span, 48, died of closed head injuries after a prolonged stay in Memorial Hospital. His death marks the 25th homicide in Colorado Springs this year.

Ernie Munoz, vocalist in Span’s band, remembered his friend as a “great guy” who like to give free concert benefits for military members.

“He didn’t do it for money,” Munoz said on Friday. “He did it out of heart.”

Munoz received word that his friend had died on Thursday.

Span, the lead guitar player of a local band, was punched by a bass player outside a Colorado Springs tavern a couple of weeks ago.

It was a punch that Michael Sorden, the bass player and Span’s roommate, immediately regretted.

“He went down on his knees and started crying and begging for him to get up,” said Ernest Munoz, lead vocalist for the band, Aleister Wild.

Span was in a coma at Memorial Hospital, and doctors told friends and family that they did not expect him to recover.

Span was on life support, said Munoz, who goes by the stage name Ernee Fenixx. Span had a fractured skull.

Munoz said that Sorden was angry at him after the band finished playing at Union Station, 2419 N. Union Blvd., around 1:45 a.m. Sorden had wanted Munoz to help him load his equipment and Munoz refused.

“I told him ‘Forget you’ and he came at me, but I thought he was just going to yell in my face,” he said. “And he just swung and punched me so hard that I fell to the ground.”

The punch, which gave him a concussion, left Munoz dazed. He watched as Span stepped in and tried to calm Sorden down.

“The next thing I know, I see Mike hitting him and Terry falls down like dead weight,” Munoz said. “Blood spattered on my arms and I knew there was something really serious about this.”

He said Sorden broke into tears and tried to revive Span, but nothing worked, Munoz said. Span was rushed to the hospital and Sorden was arrested, facing a possible charge of second-degree assault. He remains at the El Paso County jail where he is being held without bail.

“I just couldn’t believe someone would do something like that over nothing. It’s not like Terry stole his girlfriend or a paycheck,” Munoz said. “He just snapped.”

Sorden, who owns a trucking company, was on parole after being convicted of felony menacing in Mesa County in 2000. According to a story by the Associated Press, Sorden was angry at another trucker while driving through Glenwood Canyon and fired four shots into his cab. The trucker was not hit.

“He had anger management issues,” Munoz said.

He called Span a “good guy” and said he had a daughter in Ohio and wife in Korea. He was dedicated to his music and, since he didn’t have a car, he would walk for miles putting up posters advertising shows.

Munoz has played with the heavy metal band for about three months. According to the band’s website, Span started the band in his hometown of Canton, Ohio, in the 1990s before moving to Colorado Springs, where he met Sorden.

While based in Ohio, Span frequently went overseas to play for the troops, starting an organization, American Warriors, Military Entertainment Consultants.

“I just don’t understand,” Munoz said. “Why would you do that to a friend?”

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Michael Sorden Photo by Colorado Springs Police Department

Terry Span Photo by