GOLDEN, Colo. (KDVR) — Two men were sentenced on Friday for their roles in a 2021 street racing crash that killed a 21-year-old woman.
Shimpson Huynh, 31, and Adrian Lau, 22, were sentenced by the First Judicial District Court for a crash that killed Annika Williams in Westminster on Nov. 14, 2021. Lau was sentenced to nine months in jail and was remanded, while Huynh was sentenced to six years in the Department of Corrections.
According to the DA’s office, Huynh and Lau were street racing when Huynh’s vehicle hit Williams, killing her and her dog. The crash occurred at 105th and Sheridan Boulevard.
Annika Williams and her dog Alfie were killed in November 2021 after being hit by a street racer going nearly 100 mph in Westminster. (Office of the First Judicial District Attorney on behalf of Williams’ family) 
Annika Williams and her dog Alfie were killed in November 2021 after being hit by a street racer going nearly 100 mph in Westminster. (Office of the First Judicial District Attorney on behalf of Williams’ family)
The two men were tried by separate juries.
On Jan. 12, a jury found Lau not guilty of vehicular homicide and guilty of the following:
- Speed contest
- Speeding 20-24 mph over the limit
- Careless driving
On Feb. 8, a jury found Huynh guilty of the following:
- Vehicular homicide- reckless driving
- Speed contest
- Tampering with physical evidence – destroy
- Careless driving
- Speeding 40 or more over the limit
Suspect was street racing at speed of 99 mph
According to the Westminster Police Department officers that responded to the crash in November 2021, at 9:15 p.m., Williams was attempting a legal U-turn from the left turn lane of northbound Sheridan when she was hit by Huynh’s 2016 Infiniti Q50.
Investigators determined Huynh was traveling at 99 mph while approaching 105th Avenue and then at 86 mph at the time of the impact.
Williams was transported to a local hospital where she died. Her dog “Alfie” was also killed.
WPD said Huynh’s Infiniti was not street-legal. His car had what’s known as a “Piggyback” that affects the fuel and boost of the engine.
Following the crash, WPD said Huynh removed his dashcam and attempted to conceal it. However, investigators were able to collect it.
Both Huynh and Lau addressed the court and admitted their remorse for street racing that night.
“I would give up everything to bring her back,” said Huynh.
Williams’ family remembers her as caring, ambitious
Williams’ family released the following statement:
Annika was a beautiful soul. A young woman with a heart of gold and her entire life ahead of her. She had goals, dreams, and ambitions. She was majoring in Integrative Physiology at CU Boulder with the dream of becoming a physical therapist. She started working as a CNA at 19 years old to gain experience in the health care field, and by 20, she was working in hospice. She gave care, comfort, and dignity to people in their last days.
For Annika, health care was about caring. She always took an interest in her patients. If they liked a certain type of music, she would be sure to download it for them to play at her next visit, or bring art supplies if they had an interest in art. She could have come in and only done her job, but she always went above and beyond because that’s who she was. She had a servant’s heart.
In Annika’s 21 years on this earth, she touched so many lives. Now, this world is robbed of her life, her love of life, and the innumerable other ways she enriched the lives of everyone who knew her.
We are glad that Annika was not forgotten at the sentencing stage and that the defendants have real consequences for their selfish actions. No one should be driving 100 mph on a busy city street. The pain the defendants have caused our family and everyone who knew and loved Annika has been unbearable. We need to continue to hold street racers accountable for their actions. This is not a movie. People are dying and this time it was our daughter.
Annika Williams’ family
Williams was set to graduate from the University of Colorado Boulder in May 2022.
