FOX31 Denver

9 indicted after deadly prom night crash

Morgan Whitley

BOULDER, Colo. (KDVR) — The district attorney’s office announced nine indictments related to a crash in which a 17-year-old who was allegedly drunk driving hit another car and two people were killed.

According to investigators, on April 9, the night of Boulder High School’s prom, a 17-year-old allegedly left a post-prom party and got in her truck to get more alcohol. The teen then drove on the wrong side of Highway 157 and crashed head-on with a 2018 Subaru Legacy.

Deadly prom night crash

The DA’s office said both people in the Subaru were killed. The driver, Ori Tsioni, was a Lyft driver and his passenger, Gregoria Morales Rameriez, was his customer.

The crash also caused a 2006 Honda Accord to crash into the back of the Subaru. The driver suffered multiple rib fractures, according to the DA.

The unnamed 17-year-old was allegedly intoxicated and was charged with multiple counts of vehicular homicide and vehicular assault.

According to investigators, they attempted to speak with multiple witnesses, both adults and minors, about how and where the teen consumed the alcohol. Investigators said many witnesses refused to speak about that night. The DA then presented the investigation to the grand jury.

“When people that have information refuse to cooperate, out of their own self-interest, the biggest, best tool that the district attorney has is the grand jury,” FOX31 legal analyst and former district attorney George Brauchler said. “It doesn’t happen often. Usually, you have people that come forward who have made a mistake and see the bigger picture that two innocent people were killed.”

Fran Lanzer, the Colorado executive director of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, said people may not realize that the state has laws on the books that can hold people accountable in cases like these.

“We do have social host liability in our state,” Lanzer said. “If you are hosting a party, you provide alcohol to a minor and that person drives drunk and kills or injures somebody, you as the host can be held liable. We don’t see that particular law enforced that much and it’s something that is really important for people to know.”

Grand jury indictments

As a result of the investigation, the grand jury issued nine indictments:

The DA released the names of the individuals and companies that were indicted in the deadly crash:

“I want to thank the Boulder Valley School District for their cooperation and the investigators for their hard work on this tragic case,” District Attorney Michael Dougherty said in a statement announcing the indictments.

Boulder Valley School District statement

Today, we learned of charges being brought by the Boulder County District Attorneys’ Office against businesses and individuals in our community associated with the use of alcohol and impaired driving that resulted in an April 2022 double fatal crash.

This was an incredibly tragic situation that took the lives of two innocent people. It also has, sadly, changed the trajectory of the lives of the young people involved, including the former BVSD student who was charged earlier for vehicular homicide and driving under the influence.

It is also a situation that brings into stark relief a serious issue in our community – underage drinking and drug use.

For many years, our high school principals and staff have been talking about the dangers of alcohol, drug use and, specifically, party buses to parents and students alike. 

We remind parents that the brains of high school-aged children are not fully developed, and work to educate our youth that the introduction of alcohol and drugs often leads to bad outcomes.

Boulder Valley School District has taken steps, within its authority, to address this community issue. Typically at our high schools, the protocol is to pull aside students who smell like alcohol or appear to be impaired, contact parents, and establish a safe and appropriate way for the student to get home. Students who are found to have engaged in serious misconduct are subject to school disciplinary action, including possible suspension. Often law enforcement is present at dances and large events and assist in managing students who appear to have been using alcohol or drugs. 

We are dedicated to continuing to review and improve our policies and practices in this area. We are also aware that more forceful measures may have unintended consequences. For instance, we are aware that the measures we have already taken (including those mentioned above) have resulted in some students choosing not to attend the school event, something that is worrisome to us. In fact, we have heard of cases in which students have stayed at house parties and/or ridden around on party buses for the full evening.

We fully support District Attorney Michael Dougherty and the DA Office’s efforts to get to the bottom of this situation. It’s time for us to come together as a community in light of these findings to do better, to unite to keep our students safe and better understand the dangers of drug and alcohol use by our youth.

Superintendent Dr. Rob Anderson