DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. — A man was sentenced Tuesday to 18 years in prison for a crash that killed a woman in Lone Tree in October 2022.
The two-vehicle crash happened around 6 a.m. on Oct. 23, 2022, near Lincoln Avenue and Park Meadows Drive. When first responders arrived, they found a woman trapped in her sedan. She was taken to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Witnesses watched a RAM pickup truck speed through the red light and crash into the driver's side of the sedan. The driver of the truck — later identified as 40-year-old David Lucero — left the scene before he could be questioned. Investigators tracked him down using his license plate tags, according to the 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office.
Lucero initially told police his truck was "missing" from the night before, but he never reported it missing or stolen. After some questioning, he admitted to being involved in the crash, the district attorney's office said.
Lucero pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident involving death and vehicular homicide — reckless driving. He was set to be sentenced on April 2, but he failed to show up to court, according to the DA's office.
“Instead of calling for help or remaining on-scene until emergency personnel arrived, this defendant made the cowardly decision to run,” Deputy District Attorney Keegan Doheney said in a statement. “He not only decided to flee that morning, but he also decided not to face justice on the day he was set to be sentenced.”
A warrant was issued for Lucero's arrest, and he was arrested two days later.
