GOLDEN, Colo. — Two people have pleaded guilty 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.
> The video above aired Oct. 10: Witness details what led to fatal hit-and-run in Golden bar parking lot
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.
According to court documents, Marquez pleaded guilty Thursday to:
- Three counts of vehicular assault - DUI
- One count of second-degree murder
- One count of attempted second-degree assault
Avila pleaded guilty Aug. 15 to three misdemeanors, according to court documents:
- Driving under the influence
- Obstructing a peace officer
- False reporting
The crash happened around 1:45 a.m. Oct. 9 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.
"The way he swerved into people was on purpose," one of the witnesses said, according to the affidavit.
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.
After the crash, witnesses said, bystanders ran up to the pickup, which had stopped, and tried to pull the driver out. One of the people in the pickup got out and ran, and a bystander tackled him, according to the affidavit.
Both of the suspects told law enforcement after their arrests that they were drunk. Avila said he had consumed at least four drinks, and Marquez told a deputy while being taken into custody, "I'm f------ drunk," according to the affidavit.
Other charges against the two suspects were dismissed as part of the plea agreements. Marquez's sentencing hearing is set for Sept. 15, and Avila's is set for Oct. 13.
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