An Arapahoe County District Court jury today found a 22-year-old man guilty of vehicular homicide, reckless driving, and driving without insurance, after three hours of deliberation.
The man, Zachariah Trollinger, also plead guilty to driving under restraint after the conviction.
The incident occured on Oct. 15, 2009. Witnesses reported that they saw Trollinger speeding and weaving in and out of traffic as he drove north on Chambers Road.
According to the news release from the district attorney’s office, as Trollinger approached Exposition Avenue, a woman, Betty Adams, attempted to make a left hand turn into a nearby apartment complex.
As she did, Trollinger’s Hummer crashed into Adams’ Chevy Lumina, completely caving in the passenger side of her vehicle. Adams was killed instantly.
During the reconstruction of the accident, Aurora Police Officer Anthony Camacho determined that Trollinger was driving at 70 mph in a 40 mph zone. There were no signs that Trollinger tried to brake.
Eight days earlier, Trollinger had been stopped by police for driving under a suspended license and was issued a ticket.
Trollinger’s driving history also included two charges for driving under a suspended license, multiple tickets for traveling too fast for weather conditions, and a speeding ticket for driving 20 to 39 miles over the posted speed limit.
Trollinger could face a sentence of up to 12 years in prison. Currently, he remains free on a $6,000 bond.
Sentencing is set for Dec. 21 at 8:30 am.
