May 24 – A woman accused of striking and killing 17-year-old Magnus White on Diagonal Highway last summer pleaded not guilty and faced a five-day trial in December.
Yeva Smilianska, 23, emerged from custody Friday and pleaded not guilty to one count of vehicular homicide – reckless, a class 4 felony.
She will appear in court on September 4 for a hearing. Her trial starts on December 16.
After the arraignment, White’s family released a statement saying Smilianska’s not guilty plea “exacerbates the grave injustice we face.”
“This was not an accident, this was a crime,” the statement read. ‘The driver took the life of a child. This plea is a direct insult to the memory of Magnus and shows a blatant disregard for the sanctity of human life.
“We implore the court to understand the full extent of the devastation this act has wrought on our family and community. Yeva took Magnus’s life – a life that was full of enormous possibilities. She stole his future and denied him any chance to pursue his life. his ambitions, and our lives, irrevocably destroyed.”
On July 29 at 12:33 p.m., White was riding his Trek Model Emonda SL 7 bicycle southbound on Colo. 119, just south of the 63rd Street intersection, when he was struck by Smilianska, who was driving a Toyota Matrix that had crossed into the right lane. in the shoulder, according to Colorado State Patrol.
White was thrown from his bicycle and transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Smilianska was the only person in her vehicle at the time of the crash.
In an arrest affidavit, investigators stated that “based on the totality of the circumstances, it appears highly likely that Smilianska was asleep at the time of the crash.”
The Boulder County Coroner’s Office determined White died of head trauma as a result of the crash and the manner of death was ruled an accident, according to the affidavit.
