Denver ​Man Gets 30 Year Sentence In Deadly Drunk Driving Crash

DENVER — A Denver jury on Wednesday sentenced the man convicted in a deadly January 2019 drunk driving crash to serve 30 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections.

In a news release, district attorney Beth McCann announced the man, 29-year-old Jamie Bautista-Sanchez, was convicted in September on charges of second degree murder, first degree assault, vehicular homicide and driving under the influence in a third or subsequent alcohol offense.

Prosecutors said minutes before the deadly crash, Bautista-Sanchez drove as fast as 101 miles per hour through downtown Denver. He was then driving 90 miles per hour when he ran a red light at Colfax Avenue and Osage Street, crashing into a car driven by 28-year-old Ethan Small, killing him.

McCann said Bautista-Sanchez had a blood alcohol content between .186 and .2 — more than twice the legal limit — along with THC, Benzos and cocaine metabolite in his system.

“In addition to focusing our efforts on prosecuting Jaime Bautista-Sanchez, I am incredibly proud of the work by our team to support Mr. Small’s family,” McCann said in a statement. “My hope is that this sentence brings Mr. Small’s family some peace in what has surely been a dark time for them.”

The man received a 30 year sentence for the second degree murder charge, 30 years for the assault charge, 12 years for the vehicular homicide charge and one year for the DUI charge. He will serve the sentences concurrently.

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