DENVER (KDVR) — In a sentencing hearing Friday, a judge determined that prison will be the next stop for a driver who was reportedly street racing when he hit another vehicle, killing an 18-year-old and injuring three of the teen’s family members.
On Friday, Erik Hernandez-Escobar, 20, was sentenced to seven years in prison after he pleaded guilty in late May to charges of leaving the scene of an accident involving death and vehicular homicide — reckless driving, both felonies.
The crash took place on Oct. 6, 2024, at the intersection of 58th Avenue and Holly Street in Commerce City.
Hernandez-Escobar failed to stop at a stop sign, leading to the deadly collision that claimed the life of 18-year-old Emiliano Malpica and caused life-threatening injuries to two family members in the car, as well as injuring a third person in the car.
During the sentencing hearing on Friday, members of Malpica’s family asked the judge for justice and listened to the hearing through translators.
The hearing on Friday was filled with tearful testimony from Malpica’s family and friends as they remembered the night their loved one died.
“Emiliano was a 19-year-old full of life,” shared his eldest sister on Friday in court. “A person full of adventures, full of laughter, full of joy. A person who enjoyed everyone’s company. A person who loved to dance, who loved his job.”
She said Oct. 6, 2024, is a night she will not forget, and it changed “everyone’s” life forever. She described arriving at the crash and seeing firefighters work to extract her mother from the vehicle.
“The car was damaged, broken glass, doors off. I knew it was bad,” she said. “I remember a police officer came up to me and told me, ‘they’re OK, they’re alive. Your brothers are heading to the hospital.'”
She said that her brother died of his injuries at the hospital, and spoke about the weight of having to care for her entire family shortly after having given birth to her own child.
“What do you mean I had to be the one to tell both my parents that one of their babies was no longer with us?” she asked. “This crime has affected me in so many ways.”
After the crash, police say Hernandez-Escobar did not stay on scene or provide aid to the family; instead, police say he jumped into a nearby vehicle and fled the scene. He then also filed a false police report saying his car had been stolen.
“Cellphone data, vehicle crash notifications, and location tracking from his Life360 account placed him at the crash site at the time of impact,” the 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office said in a Friday release. “A passenger in the Audi later confirmed Hernandez-Escobar was the driver.”
FOX31’s Alliyah Sims spoke with Karla Malpica-Medina, Emiliano’s sister, after the crash. She said she just wanted to find her family members alive at the hospital.
“It’s just crazy how there’s people so cruel. How can you live knowing you killed someone or at least leave the scene not knowing if those people made it?” said Karla. “They have a family they need to come home to, and unfortunately, one of them didn’t.”
Additional charges against two other defendants in this case were announced on Aug. 1.
“This was an unspeakable tragedy caused by the thoughtless actions of this defendant,” said District Attorney Brian S. Mason in his office’s release. “My heart breaks for the victims and their families whose lives are now forever changed.”
Hernandez-Escobar’s co-defendants are still facing pending charges in this case. One co-defendant is alleged to have been racing Hernandez-Escobar, while the second is accused of aiding his flight from the scene. Both are set to be arraigned on charges related to this crash in October.
Anthony Sutton is a business strategist and writer with a passion for management, leadership, and entrepreneurship. With years of experience in the corporate world, he shares insights on business growth, strategy, and innovation through management-opleiding.org.
