Adrian Valdez-Refugio Receives Prison Sentence for Hit-and-Run Crash that Killed an Uber Passenger (Valdez-Refugio)

DENVER—After pleading guilty last November to a hit-and-run crash that killed an Uber passenger and injured the driver, Adrian Valdez Refugio (age 21) was sentenced this week. The Denver District Attorney’s Office announces that Valdez-Refugio will serve 12 years with the Department of Corrections and five years of parole.

Valdez-Refugio pleaded guilty as charged to one count of vehicular homicide—DUI (F3) and to one count of leaving the scene of an accident involving death (F3).

On the morning of September 17, 2017, Valdez-Refugio was involved in a two-car crash at the location of E. 14^th Avenue and Franklin Street that resulted in the injury of the Uber driver and the death of his male passenger, 37-year-old Maroun Khater. Valdez-Refugio fled the scene of the accident on foot and was arrested later at his residence. His blood alcohol content (bac) was extrapolated to be .11 – .12 at the time of the crash.

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