The driver who ran a red light in a stolen car and smashed into another vehicle has been found guilty of all eight counts in the crash that killed the two men in the other car.
A jury in Denver District Court on Tuesday found Jeffery D. Sloan, 37, of Glendale guilty of vehicular homicide, vehicular eluding and other charges in the June 9, 2019, deaths of driver Yasir Hasan and Mark Karla.
Denver Police officers located a stolen Jeep Liberty on the street on June 9 and approached to investigate. Sloan drove off, eluding the officers at a high rate of speed. As per Denver Police policy, they did not chase the Liberty.
Sloan sped off at nearly two times the speed limit, running a red light at the intersection of Colfax Avenue and Colorado Boulevard. He broadsided a Hyundai Insight driven by Hasan. Sloan abandoned the Jeep and ran off.
Hasan, who was 33, died at the scene. His passenger, Mark Karla, who was 45, sustained severe and mortal injuries. He was taken to a hospital but did not recover.
The District Attorney’s Office of the 18th Judicial District was appointed special prosecutor in the case.
“The defendant fled from the police in a stolen car, and he blew through a traffic light at nearly twice the speed limit, ending two innocent lives. After looking to see how much carnage he had wrought, he fled again like a coward. He even tried to flee police when they went to arrest him,” said District Attorney George Brauchler, who personally tried the case with Chief Deputy District Attorney Brian Sugioka. “But he could not run from the evidence or this conscientious jury. He could not run from justice.”
The jury convicted Sloan of:
- Two counts of Assault 1-extreme Indifference F3
- Leaving Scene/accident Involving Death F3
- Vehicular Eluding-w/death F3
- Leaving Scene/accident Involving Sbi F4
- Vehicular Eluding-w/injury F4
- Two counts of Vehicular Homicide-reckless Driving F4
Sentencing is set for Oct. 9 at 1:30 p.m. The presumptive sentencing range is 20 to 88 years in the Department of Corrections; the imposed sentence will be determined by the judge.
