A judge sentenced a 33-year-old man who pleaded guilty in a DUI crash in Wheat Ridge that killed one person and injured two others to 14 years in prison.
Cesar Hernandez-Sanchez had pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide and vehicular assault in the four-vehicle crash on Oct. 17, 2025, that killed and injured two others.
Judge Christopher Zenisek issued the sentence on Friday.
The Wheat Ridge police investigation found that Hernandez-Sanchez was moving faster than 70 mph westbound on Colorado 58 just after 7 p.m. when he crossed over the dirt median into oncoming traffic, striking Smith’s vehicle head-on, causing a chain reaction involving the other vehicles.
Hernandez-Sanchez told police at the scene he had consumed two beers on the day of the crash, and also said he had a history of alcoholism, according to court records. Two and a half hours after the crash, police measured Hernandez-Sanchez’s blood alcohol content at more than three times the legal limit.
Smith was pronounced dead at the scene. The two other victims were taken to the hospital with serious injuries. Sanchez was hospitalized with serious injuries, then was discharged and booked into the Jefferson County Jail.
After his guilty plea on March 23, Hernandez-Sanchez faced a maximum sentence of 18 years in prison.
“Alcoholism is a disease, but when Mr. Hernandez-Sanchez got behind the wheel that day, he made his disease a risk to our community,” Jefferson County Senior Deputy District Attorney Jacob Mathews said in a statement on Monday.
Mathews said Hernandez-Sanchez was wanted in Texas after failing to appear to face charges for a DUI incident in 2022.
“This case reflects another devastating and entirely preventable loss for our community,” he said. “Mr. Smith’s children lost their father, and the surviving victims will live with the lasting effects of their injuries. These are the real and lasting consequences of that choice.”
