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Man sentenced to 31 years for killing Castle Rock teens
Drunk driver receives maximum prison term
BY MCKENNA HARFORD MHARFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The drunk driver who killed two Castle Rock teens last August was sentenced on July 14 to 31 years in prison for multiple charges including vehicular homicide.
Douglas County Judge Theresa Slade imposed the maximum sentence on Ricky Avalos-Trujillo, 25, who was found guilty of vehicular assault, careless driving and two counts of vehicular homicide in May.
On August 5, 2022, Avalos-Trujillo was driving the wrong direction and speeding on the I-25 frontage road near mile marker 179 in Castle Rock when he hit a truck carrying four teens head-on. The wreck killed Audrey Todd, 17, and Colton Bellamy, 17, and injured the other two teens.
A blood test on Avalos-Trujillo found marijuana and alcohol in his system during the time of the crash. Avalos-Trujillo was serving a probation sentence for injuring someone while driving impaired in California.
Slade sentenced Avalos-Trujillo for 12 years in prison for each count of vehicular homicide, 6 years in prison for vehicular assault and one year in prison for careless driving, as well as three years of parole. Avalos-Trujillo will receive credit for 343 days time served.
Prosecutors on the case, 18th Judicial District Senior Deputy District Attorney Meghan Gallo and Deputy District Attorney Sherri Giger, said the loss of life is tragic and preventable.
“He should have never been behind the wheel, and unfortunately, his victims and their families will have to live with the impacts of that decision for the rest of their lives,” Giger said in a statement.
“This is an individual who has proven he cannot safely be in our community, and we appreciate that the judge’s sentence ensures that he won’t threaten the safety of other innocent drivers for years to come.” one chose to record the interaction, Steers said during a March 22 hearing in Douglas County District Court. e recording captured the events leading up to the killings: ree people appeared to be having a din- ner and at one point talked about a birthday gift, Steers said. At some point, the man authorities say is Devol leaves and returns and kills the other two people and a dog. Mitchell was found with a “digital recorder device,” according to her autopsy report.
A coworker of Gray’s discovered him and Mitchell in the Russellville Road garage about 1:30 p.m. Feb. 8, e report, released by the Douglas County Coroner’s O ce, shows both victims also had meth, alcohol and marijuana in their systems. In addition to the toxicology reports, notes were made in both autopsies that each had a history of methamphetamine use.
Devol was found and arrested at a hotel in Salina, Kansas, on Feb. 9, 2022. He complied when o cers attempted to place him in custody, according to testimony at the hearing. Autopsy results show the victims had bruising and shallow injuries and had been shot by two di erent rearms.
Deputies discovered security footage for the home that showed someone entering the garage carrying “multiple handguns and a long gun.” After a tip from a friend of the family, investigators alleged that Devol is the person in the video.
