WESTMINSTER, Colo. — A man acquitted of murder in a deadly hit-and-run is now trying to get his remaining felony conviction tossed out. August Romero was found not guilty of murder in Robby Valanzuela’s 2024 hit-and-run death. Now he’s fighting to get his only remaining felony conviction vacated.
Valanzuela was hit and killed near Zuni and Alcott streets in Westminster in March 2024. Romero was arrested days later and charged with first-degree murder and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death. Romero was on parole at the time of the incident. He was featured in a 9 Investigates report that highlighted discrepancies in risk assessments done by the Colorado Department of Corrections that allowed him to be subject to less supervision while on parole.
In April, a jury found Romero not guilty of murder. He was, however, convicted on the leaving-the-scene charge. According to 9NEWS legal analyst Scott Robinson, it is a class 3 felony carrying a sentencing range of four to 12 years and up to 24 years if the court finds extraordinary aggravating circumstances. Because Romero was on parole, Robinson said, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of at least eight years…