A drunk driver who killed two Castle View High School students in a crash last year was sentenced to 31 years in prison, the 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office announced Wednesday.
Audrey Todd, 17, and Colton Bellamy, 17, were killed just before midnight on August 5, 2022 — days before the start of their senior year — near the intersection of Territorial Road and the I-25 Frontage Road. Two other teens were injured in the crash.
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Ricky Avalos-Trujillo, 26, of Colorado Springs, was speeding and driving in the wrong lane into oncoming traffic when he collided head-on with the vehicle occupied by Todd and Bellamy. He was under the influence of alcohol and marijuana, the DA's office said.
At the time of the crash, Avalos-Trujillo was on probation for a DUI injury crash out of California.
He was found guilty in May of two counts of vehicular homicide — DUI, one count of vehicular assault — DUI and careless driving.
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Prosecutors requested the maximum possible sentence during the July 14 sentencing hearing. The judge fulfilled that request and imposed the maximum sentence of 31 years in prison.
“Every death as a result of drunk driving is 100% preventable,” said District Attorney John Kellner in a statement. “We can never replace those loved ones that are lost, but my office is committed to holding dangerous drunk drivers accountable to the full extent of the law.”
