Hit & Run Victim's Family Appears In Court

DENVER (CBS4) - Family members of a fatal hit-and-run victim stared and cried as a man charged in the case appeared in court Tuesday morning.

Jose Medina, 21, was killed in the hit-and-run crash while working outside a nightclub on Lincoln Street in Denver. A security camera video released by the attorney for the family produced a tip that led to the first arrest in the case.

Eliu Montes-Garcia waved his second advisement during a brief court appearance on Tuesday. Two others charged in the case are to make appearances Wednesday.

Medina's mother, fiancé and aunt huddled in the courtroom, at times shaking as Montes-Garcia appeared before the judge.

"The family was in the courtroom today, they wanted to look the defendant, Montes-Garcia, in the eye to make him know he's going to be held accountable for his actions," family attorney Gabriel Schwartz said.

It's believed that Montez-Garcia was a passenger in the truck when the hit-and-run occurred. The woman believed to be the driver is still in Arizona where she was arrested.