Centennial – In a hallway outside the courtroom, Mary LaFrance broke down and cried Thursday as she showed photographs of her boyfriend, Greg Boss, moments after Jason Reynolds was convicted of murdering Boss in a road-rage crash.
“I was grateful for the justice, but it doesn’t bring Greg back,” LaFrance said. “We still have to live without him for the rest of our lives.”
An Arapahoe County jury found Reynolds guilty of two counts of first-degree murder “with extreme indifference” in the deaths of Boss and another victim, Kelvin Norman.
It’s the first time a Colorado jury has come back with a first-degree murder verdict in a road-rage case, said Arapahoe County District Attorney Carol Chambers.
Chambers said the jury sent a clear message to people who drive aggressively and out of control: “If you are angry behind the wheel of a car, you need to stop and you need to think.”
Phil Cherner, one of Reynolds’ attorneys, said the murder convictions will be appealed. He declined to comment further.
During the trial, another of Reynolds’ attorneys, H. Michael Steinberg, told jurors that Norman, not his client, was the aggressive driver in the 2005 crash.
Veteran Denver defense attorney Larry Pozner said Reynolds’ appeal will be closely watched by prosecutors and defense attorneys across the country.
“This is likely the leading case of its type in the nation and will test whether prosecutors can equate road rage to first-degree murder,” Pozner said.
Pozner said that prosecutors normally bring lesser charges in road-rage situations, such as manslaughter or vehicular homicide.
During the two-week trial, jurors were told that Reynolds, 33, of Parker, had a history of tailgating at high speeds as well as pulling in front of other drivers and hitting his brakes.
On Nov. 8, 2005, Reynolds, driving a Jeep on E-470, pulled behind Norman, driving a Toyota 4Runner, and began tailgating, prosecutors said.
Norman changed lanes, and when Reynolds passed he pulled in front of Norman and hit his brakes, causing the 4Runner to swerve, jurors were told.
Norman’s vehicle flew up and crashed upside-down into Boss’ Ford Explorer. Boss, 35, of Lone Tree, and Norman, 50, of Highlands Ranch, died at the scene. Reynolds was not hurt.
After the crash, Reynolds told a tow-truck driver that Norman “got what he deserved and what he had coming,” the driver testified Jan. 18.
Prosecutors and family members of the victims said the comment showed Reynolds to be heartless and without remorse.
Earlier, as District Judge Carlos Samour read guilty verdicts on the first-degree murder charges, the courtroom, packed mostly with family and friends of the victims, collectively let out a long sigh of relief.
Reynolds, who faces a life sentence on the first-degree murder counts, was also convicted on two counts of vehicular homicide/reckless driving, and two counts of careless driving resulting in death.
Defense attorney David Lane, who like Pozner was not connected to the case, called the first-degree murder verdict “very unusual.” He said he could potentially see such a charge if a driver deliberately rams another motorist’s car. But he said it might be a “stretch” in a case where one motorist slams on his brakes in front of another.
Family members and friends of the victims, however, said the verdict was appropriate.
“Justice has been served,” said Judy Boss, the mother of Greg.
Norman’s 12-year-old daughter, Stella, said she’ll miss “joking around” with her dad and the good times they had together. “He was just really fun to be with,” she said.
Staff writer Kieran Nicholson can be reached at 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com.
