The first-degree murder convictions of a Parker man in a road rage case should serve as a warning to aggressive drivers. Road rage that causes the death of an innocent person is equivalent to murder with a gun or other weapon.
In a precedent-setting case, an Arapahoe County jury found last Thursday that Jason Reynolds used his Jeep Wrangler as a weapon, resulting in an accident that caused the deaths of two people. It was the first time in Colorado, and possibly the nation, that a jury returned a first-degree murder verdict in a road rage case.
Until now, prosecutors had brought lesser charges in road rage cases, such as vehicular homicide or manslaughter, which carry lighter sentences. Because of the murder convictions, Reynolds could spend the rest of his life in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 16.
The Reynolds verdict is being viewed as a test case that will be watched nationally as it goes through the appeals process.
“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,” said veteran Denver defense attorney Larry Pozner.
Arapahoe County District Attorney Carol Chambers said the case falls into the category of “extreme indifference” murders and does not rise to the level of capital murder, which involves intent and deliberation. Chambers said it is similar to a drive-by shooting in which a shooter shoots randomly into a crowd – and kills someone without aiming at anyone in particular. In the Reynolds case, the killer’s deadly weapon was his vehicle, she said.
Reynolds was accused of cutting in front of Kelvin Norman and slamming on his brakes during a road rage incident on E-470 in November 2005. Jurors decided it was Reynolds’ “extreme indifference” that caused the accident that killed Kelvin Norman and Greg Boss. Norman swerved to avoid rear-ending Reynolds, lost control of his SUV, which rolled across the median and landed atop the oncoming car driven by Boss. Norman and Boss were killed instantly. Reynolds, who had a history of aggressive driving, claimed he accidentally hit his brakes while shifting gears.
Drivers need to remember how dangerous a car can be, Chambers said. “Anger and fast speeds and motor vehicles don’t go together,” she said.
