On May 7, 2024, Douglas County Judge Ryan J. Stuart sentenced David Lucero, 40, to 18 years in prison for killing a woman in a crash back in 2022.
Around 6:00 a.m. on October 23, 2022, Lone Tree police officers were dispatched to a 2-vehicle crash near Lincoln Avenue and Park Meadows Drive. When they arrived, they found a female victim trapped inside her sedan. The woman was taken to Sky Ridge Medical Center where she was pronounced dead.
Witnesses and nearby traffic cameras revealed a RAM pickup truck ran a red light at a high rate of speed and crashed into the driver side of the sedan. While Lucero left the scene before he could be questioned, police tracked him down after running his license plate tags.
Officers contacted Lucero via telephone and he initially told police that his truck was “missing” from the night before. However, police found no records indicating Lucero had reported his car stolen or missing. After questioning Lucero further, he admitted to being involved in the crash.
Lucero was charged and pleaded guilty to the following offenses:
Leaving the Scene of an Accident Involving Death
Vehicular Homicide-Reckless Driving
Sentencing was originally scheduled for April 2, 2024, but Lucero failed to show up to court.
“Instead of calling for help or remaining on-scene until emergency personnel arrived, this defendant made the cowardly decision to run,” Deputy District Attorney Keegan Doheney said. “He not only decided to flee that morning, but he also decided not to face justice on the day he was set to be sentenced.”
A warrant was issued for Lucero’s arrest and he was arrested two days later.
David Lucero
He was formally sentenced Tuesday to 6 years for Vehicular Homicide and 12 years for Leaving the Scene of an Accident Involving Death. Both sentences will run consecutively.
“This sentence should serve as a warning that you cannot run from justice,” Deputy DA Sherri Giger said. “We are committed to holding offenders accountable and we’re grateful that we were able to bring some closure to the victim’s family in this case.”
