A teenage illegal alien who killed a 24-year-old Colorado woman during a high-speed crash was given a generous plea deal by a progressive district attorney that allowed him to escape jail time.
The teen, a 15-year-old Colombian national, has not been named due to state laws that shield the identity of underage criminal suspects. Despite the severity of the crime, the teen was sentenced to just two years’ probation and 100 hours of community service for the July 2024 death of Kaitlyn Weaver, according to a report from Fox News.
The office of Arapahoe County District Attorney Amy Padden offered the teen a plea deal if he admitted his guilt in the deadly crash, the victim’s father, John Weaver, told the outlet.
At the time of the crash, the offender was racing with other teens at a speed of 90 miles-per-hour in the T-boned Weaver’s vehicle at an intersection, her father said. “It was an instantaneous death,” he added.
Kaitlyn was waiting at an intersection and was on the phone with her boyfriend when she was struck, her father said. She was kept on life support for two days before she was taken off and succumbed to her injuries.
The teen suspect was arrested and initially charged with vehicular homicide. At the time, Weaver’s family was told by the office of Arapahoe County District Attorney Amy Padden that the case was a “no plea offer” situation, Weaver said.
Padden, who received endorsements from Colorado Governor Jared Polis and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), later informed the Weaver family that she would be negotiating a plea deal anyway.
“They said by doing two years’ probation, that’s probably more than the judge would give if he pleaded guilty,” John Weaver said. “You don’t have to participate in a bad system. If the judge wanted to sentence him to less, that’s the judge’s issue. What happened in this case is you (prosecutors) created it into your issue. Now you’re part of the problem.”
John Weaver noted that the teen who killed his daughter was in the U.S. illegally and was driving without a license. “We had a collision where the immigration system and the criminal justice system collided, and now my daughter’s dead,” he said.
According to local reports, the teen had taken the uninsured jeep from his mother without permission. His mother told authorities she planned to move him back to Colombia, but he has since applied for asylum.
Arapahoe County Assistant District Attorney Ryan Brackley said the plea deal was handled by an “experienced” attorney and described it as a suitable outcome for the case.
“We believe the conviction to the highest charge in this case and the negotiated sentence acknowledges the seriousness of this preventable tragedy, and that no legal outcome can truly make up for the profound loss and void Kaitlyn’s loved ones will live with permanently,” Brackley said.
In a Facebook post earlier this week, Padden addressed Weaver’s death while focusing on the dangers of speeding.
“We acknowledge Kaitlyn Weaver’s death was the direct result of a crash caused by an unlicensed teenager driving at nearly twice the posted speed limit,” she wrote. “This tragic loss is a powerful reminder that it is not just alcohol or drug-impaired driving that takes lives. Driving at dangerous speeds has deadly consequences too, and they are felt by our entire community.”
