The driver pleaded guilty to second-degree murder

(HUERFANO COUNTY, Colo.) – The 3rd Judicial District has announced that Michael Estrada has entered into a plea agreement to second-degree murder for his involvement in a March 9 crash.

According to the Colorado State Patrol (CSP), on March 9 at 2:50 p.m., officers were called to a serious crash on Colorado State Highway 12 at mile marker 13. The crash involved a 2013 EMC Sierra driven by Estrada and a 1999 Jeep. Wrangler driven by Brandon Beach.

CSP said Estrada was traveling between 89 and 93 mph in a 45 zone and hit Beach at about 66 mph. When troopers arrived, they found Beach dead at the scene from his injuries. During the investigation, police suspected that Estrada was under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.

Estrada was arrested and found to have a BAC of 0.134 and was under the influence of marijuana.

“The accident that took this man’s life and changed an entire family forever was not just a drunk driving accident; it was a homicide,” said Trooper Yoder of the Colorado State Patrol’s Traffic Crimes Unit. “Changing attitudes and thinking is the community’s best hope for reducing drunk driving. If more people saw drunk driving as a deliberate and dangerous act, fewer families would mourn these senseless losses.”

According to CSP, Estrada has two prior DUI convictions in Texas and will be sentenced for two more in Colorado, one in this case and another in the January arrest.

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