Prominent Democrats supported a Democrat prosecutor who slapped the wrist of a 15-year-old illegal immigrant who murdered a Colorado drug treatment worker in a high-speed collision in a residential neighbourhood.
Due to state legislation, the Colombian national adolescent who killed Kaitlyn Weaver in July 2024 was sentenced to two years of probation and 100 hours of community service.
Amy Padden, the district attorney for Arapahoe County, gave the boy a plea bargain in exchange for his admission of responsibility in the fatal collision, his commitment to go to school, and his promise to abstain from further criminal activity.
The teenager struck Weaver’s Volkswagen in Aurora, Colorado, while racing his mother’s Jeep Cherokee at almost 90 mph on a 45 mph posted street.
The 24-year-old Weaver was “effectively killed instantly,” according to her father, John Weaver.
Weaver stopped at a stop sign while talking on the speaker phone with her boyfriend. She let a car pass before crossing the intersection and getting T-boned by the teenager.
The distraught father remarked, “She didn’t even see him coming.” “He was moving at that speed.”
Weaver’s car was totally wrecked in the collision, including the driver’s side.
Before her parents removed Weaver from life support and gave her organs to others in need, she was hospitalised for two days.
Other children were in the car with the teen at the time of the fatal collision, and he was also not legally allowed to drive the vehicle.
He was accused with homicide by vehicle.
According to Colorado state law, juveniles cannot be publicly identified in criminal court proceedings.
The teenager has since applied for asylum in the United States, despite his mother’s declaration to investigators that she intended to return him to Colombia.
With the Weavers anticipating a lengthy trial until Padden was elected to office and took over as district attorney, the teenager was processed through juvenile court.
“The DA’s office said this would be a ‘no plea deal’ case, so they were not going to offer anything; any concession,” John Weaver stated.
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“Why the change? If he had taken a firearm and recklessly just shot it and killed someone, this would be a different case. They would be pushing it completely differently,” he continued. “There’s no deterrence.”
Before working at the drug recovery facility in Aurora, Kaitlyn Weaver worked with the suicide hotline while studying psychology at the University of Colorado Boulder.
According to her father, she was genuinely attempting to improve their life on a daily basis.
Since the teenager had stolen the uninsured Jeep without authorisation, the boy’s mother is not held accountable for the fatal collision.
John Weaver criticised the several rules that permitted the teenager to collide with his daughter.
He fought back tears as he remarked, “I sit here today without a daughter, and immigration and the criminal justice system and all these things landed together one day in Aurora.”
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In a comment beneath an unrelated Facebook post, Padden addressed her contentious choice, concentrating on the risks of speeding and omitting the teen’s immigration status.
“We acknowledge Kaitlyn Weaver’s death was the direct result of a crash caused by an unlicensed teenager driving at nearly twice the posted speed limit. This tragic loss is a powerful reminder that it is not just alcohol or drug impaired driving that takes lives,” Padden stated.
“Driving at dangerous speeds has deadly consequences too and they are felt by our entire community. Although the driver’s age and relevant legal statutes resulted in this case being handled in juvenile court, this should not diminish the severity of the offense.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders (V-I), Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D), Colorado Sens. John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet, and others have previously endorsed Padden. She has also posted pictures of herself with Stacey Abrams and Kamala Harris.
“We unequivocally condemn such reckless and unlawful behavior, which had devastating and irreversible results. We assigned Kaitlyn’s family a Victim Advocate to assist and guide them throughout the judicial process, and we communicated with them before agreeing to a final disposition in this case. Prior to sentencing, Kaitlin’s family members addressed the judge with heartfelt recollections of Kaitlyn and pointed comments directed at the juvenile offender. No legal outcome can truly make up for the profound loss and void Kaitlyn’s loved ones will live with permanently,” she continued.
