DENVER (KDVR) — A woman who crashed into a mother and son on the side of Interstate 25 in October 2022, killing the pair, was sentenced on Wednesday to serve over two decades in prison for the crime.
Amber Villarreal and her son, Elijah, 18, were changing a tire on the shoulder of the northbound lanes of I-25 near milepost 182 on the night of Oct. 12, 2022. A Colorado state trooper was at the scene and had his emergency lights activated while parked behind the disabled vehicle.
FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up to get breaking news sent to your inbox
That’s when investigators say a drunk driver crashed into them, killing the mother and son.
“This defendant’s actions have permanently torn apart a family,” said 18th Judicial District Attorney Senior Deputy Corrie Caler in a release. “This preventable tragedy took the life of a beloved mother, wife, and grandmother, along with her 18-year-old son who was just beginning his life.”
The driver that killed the Villarreals was identified as Michelle Branch, 49. She was sentenced on Wednesday to serve 21 and a half years in the Department of Corrections on two counts of vehicular homicide/DUI and one count of failure to exercise caution/yield the right of way to emergency stationary vehicles causing death. She had previously pleaded guilty to all three charges.