A 20-year-old woman was sentenced to six years in the Colorado Department of Corrections on Thursday after pleading guilty in a 2025 DUI crash on Highway 93 that killed a Jefferson County woman. The collision happened in the pre-dawn hours on Feb. 20, 2025, when the driver crossed into oncoming traffic and struck multiple vehicles. The victim, Cynthia "Cindy" Myers, 64, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Crash and Sentence
According to a press release relayed by KDVR, prosecutors say 20-year-old Sage Valentine was driving a Toyota 4Runner at about 60 miles per hour when she crossed into the northbound lane and struck multiple vehicles. Valentine was taken to the hospital with serious injuries, while other drivers did not sustain injuries, the release states. She later pleaded guilty to two vehicular homicide counts and a compulsory insurance charge and was sentenced to six years in the Colorado Department of Corrections.
What the Law Says
Colorado law sets a per se DUI limit at 0.08% blood alcohol concentration, a threshold prosecutors can use to prove impairment under state statute. Vehicular homicide, which includes deaths caused while driving under the influence or in a reckless manner, is defined in C.R.S. 18-3-106 and is charged as a felony, with penalties determined under state sentencing law. See C.R.S. 42-4-1301 and C.R.S. 18-3-106 for the statutes' language and penalties, available via Justia.
Toxicology and Investigation
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation released toxicology results showing Valentine’s BAC was between 0.095 and 0.143, and investigators determined she had consumed alcohol the night before and had not slept before driving. Those findings were included in the press release about the plea and sentence, which also notes the crash happened near milepost 2 on Highway 93. The reporting and the release are summarized by KDVR.
Aftermath
The sentence closes a case that left a family grieving and refocused attention on the risks of impaired and fatigued driving on mountain corridors west of Denver. Court filings or future hearings could add details about restitution, parole or other conditions, and officials did not list additional court dates in the release.
