BRIGHTON, Colo. - A man who led police on a high-speed chase before crashing into a pickup and killing a teenager was sentenced to the maximum of 40 years in prison Tuesday.
Raymond R. Juhl, of Thornton, Colo., was sentenced by an Adams County judge for his role in a fatal accident that began with a police pursuit on Dec. 4, 2003.
Juhl had already pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, vehicular homicide, vehicular assault, first-degree assault and possession of methamphetamine. He could have been sentenced to any range between 26 and 40 years in prison.
Police said that Juhl led them on a 12-minute chase which reached speeds of 100 mph through Adams County. The chase began in Commerce City, Colo., and ended in Thornton, Colo., when Juhl slammed head-on into a black Ford Ranger pickup truck on Colorado Blvd.
Brandon Magnuson, 14, who was in the pickup, was killed. His mother, Julie Bailey, suffered serious injuries in the crash. A passenger in Juhl’s car, identified as Jamie Walden, 18, of Thornton, was not injured.
According to police, Juhl drove through at least four intersections controlled by stop signs at high rates of speed, drove through two construction zones at high rates of speed, drove through a busy parking lot at a high rate of speed to avoid stop sticks, drove off the right side of the roadway at a high rate of speed to avoid stop sticks, and drove on the wrong side of the roadway, weaving through traffic at speeds in excess of 100 mph.
“I always told my son, Brandon, that you have to pay for the mistakes you made and I think Brandon would want me to keep that promise to everybody and Raymond knows that he has a price to pay for the big mistake he made,” Bailey said during the sentencing.
Juhl read an apology to Magnuson’s mother during the sentencing.
“There are no words I could say or actions I could achieve to right the wrong that I have done to you. My true intentions that day were never to harm anyone -- only to elude the police,” said Juhl.
Magnuson’s family has filed an intent to sue Commerce City police and the Colorado State Patrol for their roles in the pursuit. They claim the chase was unnecessary and are seeking $5 million in damages.