A Denver man will spend 18 years in prison after pleading guilty in a fatal Boulder County hit-and-run that killed 41-year-old cyclist John Wilkinson in May 2025. The case rattled riders across the Front Range, sparked memorial rides, and reignited long-running demands for safer roads.
According to CBS News Colorado, the sentence was handed down in Boulder County court as part of a plea resolving charges tied to last year’s crash.
Crash, Arrest and Plea
Local reporting identified the defendant as 23-year-old Dante Johnson of Denver. Investigators believe his vehicle struck Wilkinson as the cyclist headed north on N. 95th Street near Avocet Lane on May 18, 2025. Witnesses reported seeing a blue Toyota Highlander with severe front-end damage and a missing windshield; the SUV was later found abandoned at Robert F. Clement Park in Littleton, according to Denver7.
State troopers and Boulder County investigators used tips from witnesses, vehicle location data, and a detailed crash reconstruction to piece together what happened and track down the suspect, local outlets reported…