GOLDEN, Colo. — Two people have been sentenced in connection with a hit-and-run crash that killed one person and injured several others in a Golden bar parking lot last year, according to court documents.
Ruben Marquez, 30, was suspected of driving a Chevrolet Silverado into a group of people outside the bar. Police said Ernesto Avila, 26, owned the pickup and was a passenger.
Marquez pleaded guilty in August to three counts of vehicular assault, one count of second-degree murder and one count of attempted assault, according to court documents. He was sentenced Sept. 22 to a total of 30 years in prison.
Avila pleaded guilty Aug. 15 to three misdemeanors, according to court documents. He was sentenced Friday to 60 days in jail, 18 months probation, and community service.
The crash happened around 1:45 a.m. Oct. 9, 2022 at Rock Rest Lodge at 16005 Mount Vernon Road. Deputies said one victim died at the scene, four were taken to hospitals with severe injuries, and others had minor injuries.
Multiple witnesses described to investigators what led to the crash, according to an arrest affidavit.
They said an argument broke out between two groups of people in the parking lot, which then escalated into a fistfight. The affidavit said Rock Rest security worked to break up the fight before Marquez and Avila got into the Chevy pickup.
Court records said the driver then accelerated toward a group of people in the parking lot, striking several of them.
Among the victims, two were bar patrons, four were Rock Rest employees and one was a bystander, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.
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