DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. — A woman convicted of killing a mother and her son in a drunk driving crash in Douglas County was sentenced Wednesday to more than 21 years in prison, according to the 18th Judicial District.
Michelle D. Branch, 49, pleaded guilty to two counts of vehicular homicide/DUI and failure to exercise caution in connection with the Oct. 12, 2022, crash on Interstate 25 that killed Amber Villarreal and her 18-year-old son, Elijah Villarreal.
The victims were changing a tire on the northbound side of I-25 near Castle Rock. A Colorado State Trooper responded to assist and activated his emergency lights while parked behind the disabled vehicle when Branch crashed into them, according to an 18th Judicial District news release.
An arrest affidavit in the case obtained by Denver7 read that Branch told deputies responding to the crash that she "did not realize she was in a crash," and had a strong smell of alcohol coming from her breath.
"She took the life of a grown woman that was a wife, a mother, grandmother. And then she also took the life of an 18-year-old who was just starting his life," Amber Villarreal's cousin, Laurie Perlman, told Denver7 in 2022.
Branch has also been ordered to pay $20,000 in restitution.
“While no sentence can eliminate the pain and grief the Villarreal family is going through, I sincerely hope it provides some closure and justice for them,” said Chief Deputy DA Garrik Storgaard in a statement. “This defendant had no business being on the road that night after drinking.”
