A Douglas County judge has denied bond to a 23-year-old driver accused of killing two people in a high-speed crash on Interstate 25 in Lone Tree, ruling that prosecutors presented enough evidence to support first-degree murder charges rather than a standard vehicular homicide case. Citlaly Guzman-Aguilar was driving under the influence of alcohol and THC above Colorado’s legal limits when her Jeep struck a pedestrian and a Ford driver, killing them both, according to evidence presented in court.
The ruling marks a significant escalation from the initial DUI investigation into the March 22 crash, which shut down northbound I-25 near Lincoln Avenue for hours and which Hoodline first covered in its report on the predawn highway shutdown. According to the Denver Gazette, Judge Beth Elliott-Dumler found the evidence sufficient to support two counts of first-degree murder, disagreeing with defense attorneys who argued the facts did not establish probable cause for a willingness to take life indiscriminately. Elliott-Dumler cited evidence that Guzman-Aguilar was intoxicated and traveling about 111 mph in a marked construction zone, and she said Guzman-Aguilar was traveling too fast to avoid the collision.
How the Crash Unfolded on I-25
Mike Greeder testified that a Subaru struck a barrier near the Lincoln Avenue exit on northbound I-25 shortly before 1:46 a.m., according to the Gazette’s report on the hearing. The Subaru’s driver exited the vehicle and stood on the roadway, while a Ford driver slowed to about 18 mph while navigating around the disabled vehicle. A pedestrian at the scene was wearing dark clothing, per the same account.
Guzman-Aguilar’s Jeep was traveling at about 111 mph five seconds before impact, the Gazette reported, and it began braking roughly two seconds before the collision, slowing to about 88 mph at impact. The vehicle did not swerve and remained on a straight path before striking the pedestrian and the Ford, contradicting Guzman-Aguilar’s own account. In an arrest affidavit reported by 9News, Lone Tree Police said Guzman-Aguilar told them she was driving home from Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, estimated her speed at 70 mph, and claimed she swerved before hitting something.
Seltzer Cans and Failed Sobriety Tests
The same affidavit, according to 9News, states that officers found multiple open and unopened hard seltzer cans scattered inside Guzman-Aguilar’s wrecked Jeep. Police documents cited by the outlet indicate she initially denied drinking alcohol at the scene before admitting to consuming two seltzers, after which she failed roadside field sobriety tests. Subsequent blood tests indicated her alcohol and THC levels exceeded Colorado’s legal limits, according to the report…