Jury deliberating in case of man accused of DUI, killing US Air Force lieutenant colonel
CASTLE ROCK, Colo. (KDVR) — It was last summer when a truck crashed into the gas pumps at a 7-Eleven in Castle Rock and killed a member of the Air Force.
The store is located on East Plum Creek Parkway. A police affidavit states a pickup truck crashed into the gas pumps on Aug. 4, 2024, at 2:22 p.m.
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That truck hit another vehicle and a man who had just parked at a pump and was putting gasoline in his Sequoia SUV. Court records show 56-year-old Paul Stephenson was driving the truck that went out of control.
The Douglas County District Attorney's office says 38-year-old Air Force Lt. Col. Matthew Anderson from Centennial was killed. His family was inside the SUV at the time.
Records show Stephenson had stated he had been drinking beer and a pint of Fireball Whisky before the crash. Police said video cameras captured the truck moving recklessly and at a high rate of speed.
Stephenson took the stand at the Douglas County Courthouse Thursday, testifying that he did not remember the crash and that he knew it was wrong to drink and drive.
Closing arguments started late Thursday afternoon, where both state prosecutors and Stephenson's defense attorney spoke about what happened on the day of the crash.
'And that conduct begins from the moment this guy climbs into that truck having drank a pint of whiskey and two Bud Lights and puts himself on those roads. And then at the perfect moment, for him and the worst moment for everyone else, he turns, accelerates and plows right into that crowded gas station,' 23rd Judicial District DA George Brauchler said.
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'Something happened to him to make that vehicle go into that 7-Eleven parking lot. There's no indoor camera there, so we don't know exactly how, but something did. That's not the way he drives,' Defense Attorney Mike Mitchell said.
Several members of the Air Force dressed in blue military uniforms were in the courtroom for the closing arguments. Anderson's wife, father and other family members were also present.
The jury deliberated for an hour and a half and is scheduled to resume deliberations on Monday.
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