Man accused of killing mother and son in car crash pleads guilty

BROOMFIELD, Colo. – A man accused of driving drunk near a Colorado high school and causing a crash that killed a woman and her teenage son pleaded guilty Thursday to two counts of involuntary manslaughter, court records show.

On December 12, 2023, an accident occurred near Broomfield High School, near Main Street and Miramonte Boulevard, killing 46-year-old Melissa Powell and her 16-year-old son Riordan Powell. Three days later, 37-year-old Jose Menjivar was arrested in connection with the accident.

A Broomfield police affidavit said witnesses to the crash estimated that Menjivar was driving his pickup truck at speeds between 80 and 100 miles per hour in a 40 mph zone prior to the crash and passed several vehicles by driving on the double yellow center line.

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Menjivar struck Powell's SUV as she turned left onto Main Street from Miramonte, causing the vehicle to strike a tree, the affidavit states. Powell was pronounced dead at the scene and her son died at the hospital.

Menjivar was also taken to the hospital for his injuries. When officers searched his vehicle, they noticed “an overwhelming odor of an unknown alcoholic beverage,” as well as at least two empty beer cans and an open beer case inside, according to the affidavit.”

Based on these findings, the officers obtained a search warrant for a blood sample. This revealed that his blood alcohol content was initially 0.249 per mille, more than three times the legal limit.

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On December 21, Menjivar was officially charged with the following:

• Killing with a vehicle
• Killing with a vehicle
• Driving under the influence of alcohol – fourth or subsequent offense
• Driving under the influence of alcohol as such – fourth or subsequent offense

According to court records, Menjivar had multiple previous drunken driving convictions. In 2016, she was convicted of drunken driving in Boulder County, just four days before the car crash that killed Powell and her son.

A judge sentenced him to 365 days of work release, but over an appeal by the Boulder County District Attorney's Office, Menjivar was allowed to wait outside of prison for an open spot in the work release program. He was waiting for that spot when the accident occurred on December 12.

Court records show that Menjivar pleaded guilty on Thursday, September 19, to two counts of involuntary manslaughter while under the influence of alcohol.

The verdict is scheduled for November 8.

This article contains previous reporting by Janet Oravetz.

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