AURORA, Colo. — A now-former Aurora police officer was sentenced Monday for an on-duty crash that killed a man in March.
Eduardo Landeros, 26, was sentenced to 18 months in prison with two years of mandatory parole. He pleaded guilty in August to one count of criminally negligent homicide, a felony.
Elias Anderson, 44, was killed in the crash on March 4 at the intersection of East Bates Avenue and South Chambers Road.
The victim's father, ex-wife, and sister read victim impact statements during the sentencing hearing. They asked the judge for jail time.
"I didn't want him to just see parole or probation," father David Anderson said. "I thought a stiffer sentence was more appropriate."
Elias Anderson was a father of two. His father described him as incredibly funny, smart and a great dad. His sister, Molly Anderson, said her brother was a talented musician. His ex-wife, Dayna Shafer, said the day of the crash was the worst day of her life and her grief turned into rage.
A judge told Landeros his punishment is much shorter than for Anderson's family - a life without Elias.
"I think it was a combination of bad judgment and lack of training to understand what he was doing," David Anderson said. "They couldn't really explain why he was driving at that speed."
The prosecution called Landeros' decisions intolerable, reckless conduct. The prosecutor told the judge a prison sentence was appropriate.
"We want to make sure and send a message that we are actively going to prosecute these cases and these cases are taken seriously that no one is above the law regardless of whether you carry a badge or a gun," said Eric Ross, spokesperson for the 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office.
Body camera footage showed Landeros driving more than 100 mph, listening to music and reaching for his touch-screen computer in the moments before the crash. An arrest warrant said Landeros was headed north on South Chambers Road in a marked Chevy Tahoe as he responded to a burglary call, which was classified as non-emergent.
Investigators concluded Landeros was driving between 104 and 105 mph at the time of the crash, according to the affidavit, and was not using emergency lights or a siren – and was not wearing a seat belt.
Initially, investigators thought Anderson ran a stop sign on East Bates Avenue and pulled out in front of Landeros, in part because the speedometer on his vehicle was stuck at 50 mph. However, data downloaded from Anderson's vehicle indicated he was making a left turn from southbound Chambers Road onto East Bates Avenue.
Security video from someone who lives nearby shows Landeros' vehicle, without lights or sirens, pass by at what appears to be a high rate of speed. It also captured the sound of the collision, which occurred off-camera.
Colorado State Patrol troopers reconstructed the collision. Based on that, they estimated that Anderson was traveling between 16 and 18 mph at the time of the crash, while Landeros was moving at between 88 and 98 mph.
Landeros broke his elbow in the crash and was placed on injury leave, according to APD. Aurora Police initiated an internal affairs investigation and scheduled Landeros for an interview on April 26. He resigned effective April 25, according to the department.
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