Jury To Return To Deliberate Murder Case Against Repeat DUI Driver
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - A jury will return to a Jefferson County courtroom on Thursday morning to decide the fate of a repeat drunk driver who is accused of killing a woman in October. It was Todd Grudznske's sixth DUI.
Now, he's facing a murder charge for the deadly crash.
On Wednesday, the jury was handed the case to deliberate whether Grudznske is guilty of first degree murder in the death of Angela Wimmer.
Prosecutors say the suspect knew the danger he was putting others in the day he chose to have several drinks before driving his truck.
Wimmer was driving home from church when the suspect's truck hit her stopped vehicle from behind. Investigators say the impact was so strong, Grudznske's license plate number was stamped into Wimmer's car.
Wimmer's family has been in court since the beginning and noticed the suspect regularly turning to look at them.
"It's been tough coming in every day. It's something we have to do. To look at the defendant every day doesn't help much. He turns and he looks at us sometimes," said Randy Wimmer, Angela's father.
One main reason a verdict wasn't reached Wednesday was because the jury asked for the definition and difference between cold blooded killing and malice.
It took the prosecution and defense more than two hours of heated debate before the jury was given their answer.
"He took her life, and I don't think he deserves to be out living his," said Maria Wimmer, Angela's sister.
The judge eventually let them home for the day.