DENVER — Two men charged in the 2021 street racing death of a 21-year-old woman in Westminster were sentenced Friday in a Jefferson County courtroom.
Shimpson Huynh, 31, and Adrian Lau, 22, were racing each other on Sheridan Boulevard the night of Nov. 14, 2021 when Huynh crashed into a car that was turning left onto 105th Avenue from Sheridan, police said.
The driver of the third car was identified as 21-year-old Annika Williams. An officer and witness performed CPR on Williams until she was transported to a local hospital, where she died. Her rescue dog, Alfie, also died in the crash.
Both racing drivers stayed at the scene and were arrested. Huynh and Lau were tried by separate juries earlier this year.
Huynh, who was a sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps., was found guilty of vehicular homicide, speed contest, tampering with physical evidence and speeding. He was sentenced to the maximum of six years in the Department of Corrections.
A jury found Lau not guilty of vehicular homicide but was convicted on charges of speed contest, speeding 20-24 over the limit and careless driving. The court sentenced Lau to nine months in jail, according to a release from the Office of the First Judicial District Attorney of Colorado.
During sentencing, both men expressed remorse, with Huynh saying he “would give up everything to bring her back,” the release read.
Family and friends of Williams addressed the court Friday and said the 21-year-old was a CNA and student at CU Boulder with aspirations of becoming a physical therapist.
Her parents have called on state lawmakers to pass stricter laws against street racing.
