DUI Driver Gets 34 Years For Death Of Wheat Ridge Motorcyclist

GOLDEN, CO – A drunken driver who killed a motorcycle rider near Morrison was sentenced to 34 years in prison last week, the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office said.

Ian Fitzgerald O’Connor, 33, pled guilty in February to second-degree murder, tampering with evidence and DUI in the accident that killed 63-year-old Wheat Ridge man, Paul Dacko, Sr.

The accident happened on Aug. 29, 2017 on Hwy. 285 at C470. Prosecutors said O’Connor was traveling between 105 and 111 mph prior to the crash. He had both alcohol and marijuana in his system, the DA's office said. O'Connor's car struck Dacko's motorcycle, which rolled and threw Dacko into the road. The motorcycle was wedged under O'Connor's car, which he continued to drive, until the motorcycle blocked the car from going any further. O'Connor then got out of his car and fled the collision scene to a Morrison gas station, where he was taken into custody, the DA's office said.

Dacko died from his injuries.

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