The victim, a locksmith, had gotten into a dispute with the man over payment.
ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. — A judge on Friday sentenced a truck driver to 25 years in prison for the 2022 death of a man he ran over with his 18-wheeler – then left to die as he drove away.
Erick Mejia, 32, had earlier pleaded guilty to one count of leaving the scene of an accident involving death and one count of vehicular homicide.
“There are no winners in this case, Mr. Mejia, yourself included,” said Arapahoe County District Judge Jacob Edson. “I know you didn’t go out there that day to kill a person, but you did, and you have to face the consequences.”
Edson sentenced Mejia to 15 years for leaving the scene of an accident involving death and 10 years for vehicular homicide – and ordered that they run consecutively.
The incident unfolded around 11:30 a.m. Dec. 28, 2022, at 1 Digicomm Drive in the Dove Valley area.
According to an arrest affidavit, Mejia told an investigator that he had called Guillermo Duran-Mejia – no relation – for locksmith services and that there was an argument over payment. He said that during the argument, Duran-Mejia ripped up money and hit his semi-truck with an “auto theft prevention device,” according to the affidavit.
At that point, Mejia said, he got into his semi. As he was driving away, he turned toward Duran-Mejia’s vehicle, the affidavit said. He told investigators that he had moved that way to avoid hitting a tree, according to the document.
He told investigators that he knew he had hit Duran-Mejia’s vehicle but did not initially know he had hit the victim. He looked back and saw the victim on the ground, the document said.
Mejia said he walked up to the victim and called 911, but then hung up. He said he made a second 911 call about a minute later, then made a delivery to a business and left as deputies arrived, the affidavit said.
Mejia did not attempt to contact medical personnel or law enforcement at the scene as he left, the document said.
Investigators contacted Mejia by phone and told him to stay where he was so they could talk with him, but he instead drove south on Interstate 25, according to the affidavit. Police stopped him south of Colorado Springs.
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