GOLDEN, Colo. – A 48-year-old man who killed a woman in a drunk driving crash in Lakewood last September was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday, officials said.
Todd Kenneth Grudznske had six prior drunk driving convictions, according to a news release from the First Judicial District Attorney's office. Grudznske will not have an opportunity for parole.
Prosecutors said Grudznske was bar-hopping on the morning of Sept. 30 when he crashed into stopped traffic at the intersection of West Colfax Avenue and Kipling Street. Grudznske was driving about 70 mph in a 40 mph zone, officials said.
Angela Wimmer, 25, was in a Mazda at the stop light when Grudznske's pickup slammed into the back of her car.
Wimmer was taken to a hospital, where she died. Three other women in other vehicles were also injured in the crash.
Prosecutors said Grudznske's blood-alcohol level was .341, more than four times the legal limit. He had been to four bars before the crash.
After a trial in July, he was found guilty of several charges: First-degree murder – extreme indifference; vehicular homicide – DUI; three counts of attempted first-degree assault; DUI 4th or subsequent; and two counts of careless driving resulting in injury.
"He essentially released a 7,000 lb. torpedo into a heavily populated residential and commercial area," District Attorney Pete Weir said in a statement. "He showed extreme indifference to the value of human life."
